Fallout:The Winds of Change
by Fortunate Son
Summary: Six months ago, the Brotherhood and the Lone Wanderer pushed Enclave forces out of the wasteland. The victory has given them many new technologies, and an influx of new recruits from the wastes. This has allowed them to begin expanding out, albeit slowly. But with the Super Mutants still posing a threat, and nuclear winter nearing, can they begin to stabilize the wasteland?
1. Chapter 1

Hey everyone, this is a plot that's been rolling around in my head for a while and I just wanted to see what others think. I know it's a little non canon because of some of the weapons and a few minor changes, but I promise that I won't be changing any of the original story. Also, this will be following my good karma Lone Wanderer Collin. I hope you all enjoy and feel free to leave feed back so that I may improve my writing. Enjoy!

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Collin stretched slightly as he walked into A Wing of the Citadel, it was good to be back amongst the Brotherhood after a lengthy trip up to Old Olney. He'd linked up with Knight Sergeant Baker and his squads after getting reports of deathclaws being in the area. The reports had been right, and the group had wound up clearing an entire nest of them from the town. The battle had been costly though, and the squads had lost six men by the end of the battle.

His first stop was Scribe Jameson, who nodded, knowing why he was here. "How many this time?" She asked quietly. He held up the six sets of Holotags and handed them to her.

"Six men, we managed to clear the town completely. An entire nest of deathclaws were in the town." He said as he accepted a few hundred caps from her. She nodded solemnly, then left to add the men to the Codex. Collin walked away and entered the conference room that served as Lyon's briefing room and office. He could see the Elder sitting at his table, reading from a folder of after action reports.

"Knight Sharp reporting, Sir." He said as he came to attention before the older man. Lyons put the folder down and nodded to the man before him, then smiled. Collin may have been young, but he was smart, and was one of the Elders sources of information about the wasteland.

"At ease Knight, tell me, what do you have to report on the Situation in Old Olney?" He said as he pointed to a seat for Collin to sit in. Collin eased back into the chair and removed his helmet.

"Sir, at 0900 today, I linked up with Knight Sergeant Baker and his squads. We moved into Old Olney from the West at 0930. The reports were correct. We found a nest of deathclaws inside the town consisting of 7 regular deathclaws, one Deathclaw Mother, and a Legendary Deathclaw. We managed to clear out the town, but the squads lost six men" Collin said as he looked down slightly.

Lyons let out a sigh, it seemed as though they lost more men every day. He gave the young man a minute, then asked for him to continue.

"We proceeded into the sewers afterwards, they were structurally sound, with only a handful of ghouls inside. The town was ours by 1100, and the Vertibird's arrived at 1130 with reinforcements. Outpost Charlie should be ready to receive settlers and Brotherhood members in a few days." Collin said, a slight smile on his face. It was good that they'd retaken Old Olney. The Brotherhood was growing, and ready to start expanding. Soil samples showed promising signs as well, the soil was regaining its nutrients. It couldn't sustain trees yet, but, with fresh water and fertilizer from Brahmin, garden food was a possibility.

Lyons smiled as well, and was about to speak up when Collin interjected. "We also found some valuable tech in a fallout bunker near Olney. A storage bay held all the things needed for 12 solar panels, along with the details for building wind turbines." He said, holding up a holodisk. The Brotherhood was looking for ways to constantly keep the Citadel powered.

The elder man nodded, it wasn't the weapons schematics they preferred to find, but technology that could help them was better than nothing. "Good, get them to Head Scribe Rothchild. He'll put them to use. Also, he said he'd found some information that you might want to look at. You are dismissed Knight." Lyons said as he went back to reading his report. Collin saluted, then turned and made his way to the Laboratory.

The halls of the Citadel were the same dull grey that they'd always been. The past two centuries hadn't exactly been kind to the building, and most of the paint was peeling away to reveal the concrete underneath. The only change was the fact that they were more crowded now. The Brotherhood's numbers had swelled quickly, they now had an army of two hundred and fifty soldiers, with recruits coming in every day. Collin remembered when the Brotherhood only had around one hundred members, and were struggling against the mutants and the Enclave.

He quickly entered the Lab, it was crowded here as well. The Brotherhood had even gained a few new Scribes from the wasteland, and they were all hard at work rebuilding Liberty Prime. It was easy enough to spot Rothchild, he was standing on a raised platform, overlooking the repairs and discussing it with another scribe.

Collin walked up the platform and looked over the work, they were currently working on the massive robot's chest plate. It had been painted with the symbol of the chapter on its chest plate, and was being reprogrammed to not spout old world propaganda.

"Head Scribe!" Collin called out as he walked up the platform. The older scribe turned and nodded to the Lone Wanderer as he stopped at the platform.

"Ah. Knight Sharp, I've been needing to see you. Could you come with me?" Rothchild said as he walked into one of the many computer rooms that the brotherhood had built up over the years. A pair of scribes were busy working on recovering and archiving data from new computers that were brought in. Collin leaned himself against the wall, relaxing a little as Rothchild gathered the information he needed.

"Before you start Head Scribe, I picked these up out in the wastes." He said as he handed the elder man the data disk with the schematics on it. "It's information on how to build wind turbines and solar panels. We found materials for twelve of the panels out at Old Olney." He told Rothchild, who nodded in confirmation.

"Thank you Knight, but right now we have more pressing matters. We found some information on Vault 101. Which, as I understand it, is where you lived most of your life." He told Collin as he pulled it up on the computer. It was a Vault-Tec office computer, with highly classified information inside it. Collin felt his stomach turn, he'd found out very quickly that the vaults weren't meant to help people survive. Instead, they were experiments commissioned by the old U.S. Government.

"It appears that they designed the Vaults core so that it would eventually begin to leak radiation, not enough to kill at first, but definitely to make people sick and drive them from the vault. If that wasn't enough, one of our patrols around Megaton reported some raiders moving into the old school nearby with high explosives and mining equipment. It appears they may be trying to break into the vault." Rothchild said. With a sigh, Collin eased into one of the chairs nearby and scratched his head.

"Are you sure?" He asked. He'd already had to help Vault 101 once, and he wasn't sure they wanted him to again. He wasn't even sure that Amata ever wanted to see him again. Rothchild nodded, putting a hand on the troubled young man's shoulder.

"Collin, I wouldn't have told you this if I didn't believe my own information. I've cleared it with Elder Lions. He's agreed to allocate two squads to help you clear out the raiders, along with three of the recovered trucks and a Vertibird to help with relocation." The elder told him. Collin sighed again, then stood up.

"Okay. Let me go to Megaton first, I need to repair my rifle and grab some extra stuff. Radio the squads to meet me outside of Megaton in three hours." Collin requested as he placed the helmet back on his head. He stood up and quickly shook the Head Scribes hand, then hurried out of the building. He couldn't believe he would be returning to the Vault like this, ready to fight instead of welcome his friends. This couldn't have happened at a worse time for him either, for winter would be setting in within a few very short months.


	2. Chapter 2

Hello all, figured I would go ahead and post the second chapter while my internet holds out! Once again, I hope you all enjoy the story. Please feel free to review so I can improve my writing and get some feedback. Thanks again!

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Collin hurried out into the bailey of the Citadel. He passed one of Paladin Gunny's groups of initiates, running laps around the Citadel as he directed them from above. What he needed to get to was parked in the middle of the Citadel itself. A little something he'd discovered in an old military motor pool, it had been nicely preserved and already converted to run on electron charge packs or microfusion cells. It was an old Harley-Davidson WLA, a military motorcycle from before the Great War. The paint had faded on it, but a white star in a circle was still visible.

He walked up to the bike and checked that his rifle, an M1 Garand, was still in its leather scabbard. He also checked the side car of the bike, where a very happy Dogmeat was laying along with his extra supplies. Collin smiled lightly, scratching the dogs head and hearing his tail thump against the side of the cart itself. Collin started taking off his combat armor, a suit he'd painted a dark urban grey, but with a big yellow 101 on the front and back of its chest plate. He rolled his shoulders and straightened the tan shirt that he wore underneath. Finally, he pulled off the leg plates, revealing the pair of old BDU pants he'd scavenged.

He set his things into the floor of the side car, then hopped onto the bike itself and started it. The electric engine hummed to life, not as exciting as the old roaring bikes in the holotapes, but still a thrill to ride. Checking that he had enough fuel to get back to Megaton, he set out, pulling out of the Citadel gates and wasting no time getting onto the road that crossed the Potomac to where his home was.

* * *

The ride itself had been uneventful and fast. Ever since the Brotherhood had gained new members and all the tech from the Enclave War, they'd been able to start regular patrols along the main road that connected Rivet City and the Citadel to the rest of the wastes. That and the new Regulator patrol on the opposite side of the river had served to make a relatively safe trade route for most wastelanders.

Collin looked down at Dogmeat and smiled. "Gotta love not having a speed limit, right boy?" He said as he climbed off the bike. A short bark was his response as Dogmeat hopped out. He took a moment to look out over Megaton itself. The area had grown somewhat since the end of the Enclave War. More settlers had come to the area, and a small market had been set up around the now deactivated bomb. He smiled as he walked into his home, hoping it was a sign of progress.

"Ah, Master Sharp! Glad to see that you have made it back safely! May I get anything for you?" His Mr. Handy of a butler, Wadsworth, greeted Collin as soon as he walked through the door. Collin plopped down onto his couch and put his feet up onto a table.

"Yeah. Could you please get me a water and a can of Pork N' Beans?" Collin asked as he turned on the radio in his house. Wadsworth quickly returned with a can of beans, spoon, and bottle of water, then went about his business as Collin ate. Three Dog's voice quickly filled the house.

"It is I, Three Dog! Bringing the music and helping all of you out in the wastes to fight the good fight! Come on and gather 'round ghouls and girls, cause old Three Dog has got a little PSA for you. As we all know by now, winter is getting closer with each day. This means two things. One: All the big uglies out there are getting ready to bunker down and wait out the cold, giving our friends in the Brotherhood a much needed break. And two: You had better start doing the same folks. If you want to survive, you need food, shelter, clothes, and fire of course. Here's a little tip, the Brotherhood happened across some emergency winter clothing that doesn't match with all that power armor, and they may be willing to part with some of it at GNR Plaza. Bow wow wow. Now, here's that Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy of Company B, coming to brighten up your day!" He said as the lively music began to play from the radio. Collin smiled a little as he continued to eat. Another bonus to all the influx of Brotherhood Initiates, they could finally keep the Super Mutants beat down enough to actually help the people in the wastes. He took the last bite of the food, then set the can in a recycling box with others. He stood and headed to the newest addition to his home. He'd paid a few of the locals without work to help him dig out a small basement under his house. It was down here where he kept most of his supplies and weapons, a sentry gun sat in the corner, guarding his supplies.

Hefting his armor onto a hanging rack, Collin started removing the chest plate from it. He looked at the three claw marks that were carved through the 101 on it, thanks to the Legendary Deathclaw they'd found in Old Olney. Had he not jumped back in time, the thing would've cut him in two. He walked over to a footlocker that held a few extra pieces for his combat armor. He pulled out a chest plate that originally belonged to a Talon Company merc, but now sported his colors, and began attaching it to his current set.

Collin had built himself a respectable armory down here. He'd found an old gun store that, while picked clean of any weapons or ammo, held all the tools he'd needed to make both a reloading bench and a work bench. As a bonus, he'd taken a few of the rifle racks from the store, along with a safe that had jars of gunpowder and boxes of primers inside. The racks had been put to good use quickly, holding a mix of the various long rifles found in the wasteland, including six of the M1 Garand's and five 45. Auto SMG's he'd recovered from a National Guard armory.

The armor repaired, he quickly cleaned his M1 and replenished his ammunition. He laid out three frag grenades on the table, along with the 10mm pistol he'd had when he first left the vault. Finally, he set his most recent project on the table. A combat helmet that he'd attached a transparent visor to. The screen went over his eyes and plugged directly into his pip boy, creating a HUD similar to the one that was in a power armor helmet. This HUD allowed him to see all the information that V.A.T.S offered, and would switch over to night vision when needed.

He made sure everything was in order then checked his Pipboy clock, he needed to link up with the two squads in a half hour. He changed into some fresh clothes, then went about placing his armor back on. He checked each strap, making sure it was secured, and grabbed his balaclava. The ski mask completely covered his face, leaving only a slot for his eyes. He used it more for intimidation than identity protection, and thanks to the grinning skull that had been printed onto the front of it, it most certainly did its job. Finally, he placed the helmet on his head and left, satisfied that everything was in order.

It was getting dark out by the time Collin had walked to the hill overlooking Springvale. He could see the destroyed houses below him, few of them still standing, and of course, the school itself. Easing into a crouch, Collin moved himself along the side of the hill so he wouldn't be silhouetted against the sun. Dogmeat was still beside him, padding carefully along with his Master. It wasn't long before he saw a slight movement, and a quick scan with his visor revealed a Knight laying prone, laser rifle pointed at Collin himself.

"Thunder!" the knight said in a loud whisper when he spotted Collin. He shifted a little, getting a better sight on Collin in case he wasn't a friendly.

"Flash." Collin whispered back as he stood to his full height. The knight quickly stood, the servos in his power armor whirring softly as they assisted him. He stepped up to meet with Collin, giving him a quick nod.

"Knight Sharp, glad you could join us. Knight Reyes, leader of 2nd Squad, reporting for duty Sir." He said as they slipped down into a dip in the hill they were on. Collin looked around to see only a single squad of nine men instead of the two he'd been promised.

"Command told me I would have two squads for this raid. Where's the other one?" He asked curiously as he looked around.

"We got a message over the radio, a group of raiders had ambushed and pinned down a water convoy just outside Minefield. The other squad was dispatched to go help them out." Reyes told him as they walked up to where a small lookout post had been set up with two more soldiers watching over the school. "Junior Knight Owens, what have you got for me?" He asked one of the men, who was looking through a sniper rifles scope.

"Not much sir. Ever since that group of five passed through with the cart of equipment, it's been the same. Three sentries patrolling the bombed out portion, two armed with hunting rifles, another has an R-91 assault rifle. Spotted two more down near the main entrance, looks like both have Chinese AK's. No clue on the amount inside beyond the five we spotted earlier. Although I'd guess around twenty tangos if they can post five sentries." The man said without taking his eyes away from the scope.

"Any ideas?" Reyes asked Collin, who looked thoughtful for a moment.

"I'd say we move in as close as possible to the front entrance. Have your marksman pick off one of the sentries up on the second floor when we get in position. After that, we move in and do the classic sweep and clear while the marksman and another wait here to make sure no one comes in behind us. Hopefully they won't have any surprises waiting on us." Collin said as he grabbed his M1. Reyes nodded, and relayed the info to his squad.

They slowly moved out, easing down the hill and behind a few of the burnt out cars. Collin switched his visor over to night vision and everything turned into a different shade of green. He could see the two raiders outside the front door, both were clearly high on some chem or another, judging by the conversation they were having.

"Fuck me, bossman says we'll be living the highlife soon enough! I-I heard that these vaults are just full of the good shit from before the war! Weapons! Chems! Food! We're gonna live like kings down there!" One of them said quickly. He was jittery, and Collin was almost certain that he was insane too. The other one let out a giggle as he looked around.

"I-I know! Also said that there'd be all kinds of little bitches down there for us to play with! Damn well lookin' forward too it too! That bitch Tania hasn't been putting out enough lately. I need a good fuck." He said with another laugh as he took a deep inhale from a small canister. Jet, of course they'd be hyped up on what was basically super cocaine. Collin despised the stuff, he'd seen what it did to people. He nodded to Reyes, who relayed the all clear to his marksman.

A lone shot split the quiet of the night, followed by the thud of a body as one of the raiders fell from the school, his head separated from his body. The other four almost instantly went into a panic, screaming and cursing as they scrambled to find the shooter. Collin didn't give them a chance. He stood and lined up one of the raiders by the door. Two shots erupted from the rifle, hitting the crazed man in the chest. He fell, laying still as he bled onto the pavement. The rest of the squad was up and firing alongside him. The other raider by the door was met with multiple laser blasts. Collin watched as his body was instantly burned to ash.

The two still left on the second floor fared no better, and were quickly overwhelmed by the combined firepower of the squad. Collin scanned the area, "Clear!" He called out to the others as they did the same. Collin checked his rifle, only two rounds were left in the en bloc clip. He sighed, the only downside to the rifle was having to empty the clip before you could reload. He hurried over to the door where 2nd Squad had formed up against the wall.

"On your word Knight." Knight Reyes said as one of his men moved up, ready to punch the door in thanks to a power fist. Collin nodded, and the soldier forced the door off its hinges with the pneumatic powered punch. The action was met by a barrage of bullets coming from inside the school. The knight was pulled out of the way by Reyes, his armor damaged by the barrage of bullets.

"Shit! They've got a machinegun up on that balcony! Sounds like a .30 Cal!" One of the other soldiers called out. The one who'd been hit checked himself over glanced at the rounds now lodged in his chest plate, and the spot where a bullet had pierced the gap in his shoulder armor.

"Yeah, damned well felt like one too." He said as he groaned at the pain and slipped a stimpack into the induction port along his arm. Collin edged up to the door, the machinegun had fallen silent. He could hear the raiders inside yelling taunts at them. Pulling the pin on a grenade, Collin tossed it hard inside. Shouts and curses were heard inside, followed by the thump of the grenade going off. The dust kicked up inside was the opening they needed. Collin charged inside, firing off two rounds at the V.A.T.S outlined figure of the raider. Then, sliding along the old marble floors, he slipped into cover behind a desk.

The all too familiar ping of the ejected clip resounded through the school. Collin quickly reloaded, pushing a new clip into his rifle. He watched as the brotherhood squad poured in with him. A raider was screaming loudly as she lay bleeding on the floor. One of her legs had been taken by the blast. The two raiders remaining on the bottom floor fired sporadically with hunting rifles. Two of the soldiers responded with laser fire that drove them back deeper into the school. The remaining squad members focused fire on the machine gunner, reducing him to ashes. Reyes walked forward along with his squad. Pulling out a laser pistol, he fired two blasts into the screaming raider, putting her out of her misery.

Seven raiders lay dead in the front entrance, counting the machine gunner up top. Collin glanced at the weapons, everything from old rifles, to R-91's in very good condition, and then there was the machinegun upstairs. He didn't have time to ponder why they had the weapons, as the scraping of desks could be heard upstairs. The squad pushed upstairs as soon as they'd cleared the rest of the first floor. The double doors to the library were open, same way they had been the last time Collin had cleared this place alone. He rushed up to the door, hoping to catch them off guard. He came face to face with a desperate raider holding a hunting rifle and pointing it right at him. The raider fired, but the result was not as expected. Instead of a bullet flying out and hitting the Lone Wanderer, the bolt of the weapon exploded, flying back and smashing the raiders face in. Collin took the stroke of luck and fired on the remaining raiders alongside 2nd squad. One of them rushed him with a large wrench in his hands, hyped up on multiple different chems with every intention of beating Collin to death. Collin acted fast. He grabbed the barrel of his rifle and swung it like a bat. The raiders head snapped to the side, his neck broken and side of his head partially caved in.

The room had finally fallen silent except for the sound of sizzling flesh and clothes from the laser fire. Collin turned back to see Reyes and a few others looking at him in surprise. He eased the rifle back into a ready position and sighed. "Bet you couldn't do that with one of those laser rifles." He chuckled, his voice muffled by the mask he wore. He started checking some of the bodies, looking for the usual signs of a raider leader. Normally a leader would have the best armor, along with the brand that Jericho had taught him about. An explosion down below quickly stopped Collin's searching as the entire building shook.

"Damn! Sounds like they just tried breaching the Vaults walls! We saw them carrying in torch cutters earlier! Let's get down there!" Reyes yelled as they ran for the basement of the school. Collin let the worry overcome him, and was soon at the front. 'Don't worry Amata. I'm coming for you and everyone.' He thought to himself as he ran.


	3. Chapter 3

Hey everyone! I'm glad to see that people seem to be enjoying this story. I wanted to go ahead and get this chapter up before my classes start up again, but it turns out that they got canceled. So yay me! I just wanted to thank Doomkiller10 and nicklaren for the favorites. Also, a thanks to guest and vaultkid for the reviews! Finally, I want to thank everyone who has taken the time to read this, and I hope I can continue to live up to everyone's expectations. But anyway, on with the chapter!

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Amata looked over the makeshift barricade they'd built near one of the bulkheads of Vault 101. It'd been three days since they'd first felt the tremors from what they all now knew to be explosives. Only recently, the blasts had switched over to the sounds of tools trying to drill or punch through the thick metal of the wall. She'd called Gomez, the now Chief of Vault Security, into her office and asked him to start building a barricade down in the atrium. They'd been put up with the noise of the excavation since then.

She refused to show it, but she was just as worried as everyone else. As the Overseer, she was determined to protect the people of the vault, even if it meant sacrificing herself. Officer Gomez had stormed into her room five minutes ago, filling her in on the situation outside. She could see it now, the steadily moving dot of heat as it made its way in a square along the atrium wall. A torch cutter, slowly cutting away at the safety of the walls.

"Everyone get ready. Who knows what could be coming through that wall." She told the seven officers around her. She was nervous, having an idea of what could be on the outside after he had come back to help.

Collin had told her multiple stories about the surface during his last time here. About the people trying to make a living. The raiders and mercs who tried to take that away and do as they pleased. Those stories were enough to make her afraid. She could remember when he'd come back, how he was vastly different from when he'd left. No more was the scared kid who'd fled the Vault. He'd come back as a hardened veteran, covered in armor and carrying a large assault rifle. She felt a bit of guilt stab her in the heart, she had every day since she'd exiled him, and she prayed for him every night.

Amata resettled the bullet proof vest she was wearing, and took a comfortable position for aiming her own 10 mm pistol. The moving dot of the torch cutter had finished its path and fully disappeared now, leaving a visible stress mark in the metal. She could here the pounding of a fist against it, but what happened next, she hadn't expected at all.

An explosion quickly ripped through the atrium, sending the hunk of steel flying back through the barricade. The force knocked them all to the floor, and a few of her officers were unconscious. The Vaults fire suppression system kicked in, showering them with water. She could hear voices, frantic and wild sounding, coming in from the hole. A group of men, covered in filth and wearing homemade armor, ran in as she tried to push herself up off the floor. There were five of them, and they worked quickly to gather up the vault guards before they could do anything.

"What's the plan boss!? Should we kill 'em now, then concentrate on those bastards up top or what?" A small one with half his head shaved asked a very large raider, who wore a very large set of real armor instead of the makeshift stuff the others wore.

"No you dumbass! Take these ones hostage. We can use them for leverage." He pointed to the guards who were wide eyed with fear. He finally noticed Amata, struggling to get behind one of the tables. "Well! What do we have here? Come here you little bitch! You're gonna help your new Daddy out starting now!" He said as he picked her up with one hand. Amata was struggling as he pulled her to his chest, she quickly stopped when she felt the cold steel of a knife pressed to her throat.

"That's a good little whore. Now stay real still till our new friends arrive to talk." He said as they turned to face the massive hole in the vault. She could hear the sound of automatic gunfire above them, mixed with the occasional scream. It suddenly all went silent, and a group of hulking armored figures moved in through the hole. A smaller figure wasn't far behind, she realized that the difference wasn't size, but less armor. He didn't wear a full face helmet like the others. Instead, a mask with a grim reaper skull covered his face.

"Lower your weapons! Let these people go and we'll allow you to leave in peace!" One of the heavily armored men said, his voice slightly distorted by the microphone in the helmet. The leader chuckled.

"Fuck you! One wrong move there, and the bitch here is gonna get a little fucking shorter! I've handled you Brotherhood bastards before, I can do it again!" He yelled, pressing the knife harder against her throat.

"Put. The Guns. Down! No one else needs to die today." One of the soldiers stepped forward a little, rifle aimed in her direction. The raider leader sneered.

"What? Like my men that you just fucking butchered? Oh, I ain't leaving and I sure as fuck ain't dying either!" He said. "Now you Brotherhood boys skip on home and let us be!" He tightened his grip on her. Finally, the one with the reaper mask spoke up.

"It's best you listen to the Knight over there. You hurt any of these people and you're gonna have a damn bad day. Think about the situation you're in right now. Five raiders against a squad of Brotherhood Knights and myself. I suggest you take the man's offer before the shit hits the fan for you." He warned in a calm voice.

The leader was still getting angry, he wouldn't listen to reason. "You know what. Fuck this and fuck you!" He yelled. Amata braced for her life to end, but it never came. She heard a snarling from behind her, and felt them lurch forward as something jumped onto the raiders back and grabbed his arm.

The sound of rifle shots and laser fire filed the room for a few moments, she heard a bullet crack as it went past her head. Amata was curled on her side in a ball for protection, she could feel a small cut on her neck, but no lasting damage. The fire suppression finally ran out and stopped, and the atrium was silent. She felt something warm press against her face and sniff her, followed by a lick. Amata opened her eyes to stare into the blue and brown eyes of a dog, a voice called the dog off.

"Down Dogmeat. We just saved her, don't need your breath knocking her out." The voice said as the man came into view. The dog backed up, returning to his masters' side. It was the man with the grim reaper mask. He patted the dogs head, then offered a gloved hand to help her up. She eyed him with fear for a second, then took his hand willingly. He pulled her up with ease, then picked up his rifle and slung it over his back. "We need to evacuate this place immediately." He told her. His voice was muffled, but it sounded familiar.

"What? Why?" She asked as she looked at the hole in the wall. It was a problem, but surely not enough to make them leave. "We can fix the damage, there's no reason for us to leave our home." She told him. The man sighed, then turned to the others.

"Get those guards awake and make sure none of these bastards are getting back up." He ordered, then turned back to her. "Is there somewhere we can talk in private?" the man asked.

* * *

Collin relaxed in his seat. Well, relaxed as much as one could when in combat armor. He watched as Amata hurried back inside, dressed in a fresh jumpsuit with her hair tied back in a bun as always. She sat down in the large chair behind her desk, looking at him for a second.

"Alright, Knight. Why are you telling me I have to force my people out of their home?" She asked, somewhat angry. Collin hadn't told her his name, only his rank. He'd explained that the 101 on his chest was a unit number. She'd done the same, only telling him that she was the Overseer.

"Well, Overseer. We found a few computers on the surface that were owned by Vault Tec at one point and time. You see, the vaults were experiments as well as survival shelters. This Vault's experiment was total isolation, and now it has run its course. The reactor is going to fail, as it was designed to, and force you all out into the wastes. I'm here to help. We can't stop it from happening, but we can help you survive out there." He told her.

"Oh, and how am I supposed to believe you? How do I know you won't just take the vault for yourselves? How can I trust someone whose face I can't even see?" She said, her eyes narrowed.

"Look, you'll just have to. I promise no harm will come to any of the residents of this Vault." He told her, but he could see that she wasn't believing him. "And I can't show you my face. It would cause… problems." He said, trying to dodge revealing himself. He couldn't go through the pain of her pushing him away twice.

"Knight. I want to believe you. But until I have a little trust or some insurance from you. I just can't!" She said, angry at the man before her.

Collin pushed himself out of his chair, fed up with this. "Damnit Amata! Can't you just trust me?" He said loudly, not realizing he'd said her name.

"H-how do you know my name?" She asked, surprised that a complete stranger would know her name. Collin sighed and pulled the helmet off, letting it fall next to where he'd sat his rifle.

"Shit." He muttered softly as he brought his hand up. A quick yank was all it took to bring the ski mask off. Collin closed his eyes, but could hear a small gasp come from her. He waited for a slap, or for her to tell him to leave immediately like she had last time. He'd hoped to avoid this, to just remain the Lone Wanderer.

"C-Collin?" She asked, shocked that he was here before her. She'd though that he'd hate her. That he would come to resent everyone in the vault. "What are you doing here?" She asked him carefully. Collin sighed, not wanting to look her in the eyes.

"Everything I told you is true Amata. The Vaults were built as an experiment by the Old Government. Vault 101's experiment was complete and total isolation from the outside. But now, that experiment has come to its end. The reactor was designed to fail and begin leaking radiation." He said as he walked to her and placed a hand on her shoulder. "The Brotherhood of Steel notified me the second they found out about that plus the raiders. I know you don't want me here Amata, but I wasn't going to stand by while that happened." He told her, a determined look in his eyes.

He was surprised when she wrapped her arms around him in a hug, "You big idiot. I want you here more than anyone else!" She swatted him on the arm. "It killed me to see that door shut behind you a second time. I did it because I was afraid someone here would hurt you down here, you'd made a few enemies after your escape." She said sadly, still hugging him.

Collin let out a breath he didn't know he'd been holding, and gently wrapped his arms around her. He had missed things like this, spending time with someone who meant this much to him. He'd never told her, but after his father, she held the most important place in his heart. "It's okay Amata. I- I'm just glad that you're okay now. Look, I know this is hard, but we have to get everyone out of here before the reactor goes down. We have a place ready for everyone so they can stay together. You'll have food, shelter, protection, and the ability to be free." He said, needing her tor trust him.

He felt her take in a few breaths as she thought on his words. She slowly let go, leaning back against the desk. "I believe you Collin. But I don't think the others will. We need proof if we're going to get them out of the Vault. It's hard for me to think of even when I know this." She said as she rubbed her shoulder a little. Collin nodded, at least it was something he could work with.

"I downloaded the info from the terminal onto my Pipboy. It shows the original orders from the government to Vault-Tec, along with the reactors planned breach. I promise Amata, I won't let you down. I'm going to keep you safe." He said with determination as he stood up. It was about this time that the ex-overseer came in.

"Amata! I just got word about the situation upstairs. Are you alright. Who are those men out there? What ar-. Who are you?" He stopped himself at the sight of a man clad in armor. Collin turned slowly, giving the man a hard look.

"Alphonse." He said simply. Even though he'd been able to talk him down the last time he was in the Vault, a lot of tension remained between him and the older man. He chose to remain reasonable, if only for Amata.

"Y-you!? What are you doing here? She'd banished you. Did you do that? Where you the one who put your old home in danger!?" The man asked, backing up as he looked angrily at Collin. Collin tensed up, loosing his temper. Amata was quick to intervene.

"No, he saved us dad! He saved me from those men down there!" She told him, pointing out the window at the bodies in the atrium. Neither of them had realized it, but a large crowd had quickly gathered in the atrium of the Vault. Collin could see that Reyes was looking out of his depth against that many people.

"Well, he may have saved us, but you both need to get down there and calm everyone down. One of those men said something about us leaving, and it's gotten everyone nervous." He warned them.

Collin nodded and followed Alphonse out with Amata beside him. He slipped the mask back over his head, and put the helmet on top of that. "Well, let's go say hello to everyone." He said as they hurried to defuse the situation.

* * *

The sound of everyone talking had filled the Atrium with a roar, many of the voices were directed at the Brotherhood squad that stood guard beside the breach in the wall. Collin walked in, he forced his way through the crowd to where the squad stood. Grabbing one of the tables, he turned it upright and let Amata climb onto it.

"Everyone! Everyone calm down!" She said, trying to gain the crowd's attention. It took a few minutes, but eventually everyone calmed down, and the atrium fell silent. Collin watched as Allen Mack forced his way to the front, clearly angry, if the vein in his forehead was anything to go by.

"Ah, our great Overseer finally decides to show herself! What the hell is going on here! Are these the bastards who blew the vault open?" He demanded. Collin took note of how he'd spat the word Overseer, clearly displeased with her.

Amata shrugged off the comment and looked at him. "No, these are the men who saved us. Who saved me." She said, motioning to the bodies of the raiders who'd been piled up nearby. "They've also got some information. I- I'm not sure how to tell everyone this, but I've just been informed by them that the reactor of our vault is very close to failing. We have to evacuate the Vault." She said gently, trying to ease the blow to everyone.

The news wasn't taken well, and a few were quick to speak up. "That's bullshit! They're trying to force us out! They want our home for themselves while we go out there to rot and die! They're savages, we can't believe a word they say!" Allen, the apparent leader, cried above the rest. Collin was getting more and more impatient with the man, his muscles had tensed up. He only relaxed when Amata got his attention and had him come up.

"This man has the information. He personally saved my life. Please! Listen to what he has to say." She said as she had Collin's Pipboy linked to the atriums projector.

Collin nodded and started pulling up the information for them to see. He could hear whispers in the crowd, asking who he was, why he wore such a creepy mask. Hell, he even heard someone even ask if Dogmeat was his or not.

"Look everyone! I know you're all scared. You're home has just been attacked, and now you've got people saying you have to leave! But if you'll just listen and let me show you what data I have, you'll see why it is necessary. The company who built this vault, designed it to be an experiment! After two hundred years, they meant for it to end. The reactor core is designed to fail, forcing you all to leave or die!" He said as he began to bring up the first slide.

"And why are we supposed to believe you? We don't know you! I say you stop lying to us and get the hell out of our home!" he said. A few people shouted out in agreement. Allen Mack, feeling empowered, picked up a piece of rubble and launched it at Collin. The chunk hit him square in the chest, and ended Collin's patience. He jumped down, walking up to the older man and grabbed him by the collar of his jumpsuit.

"Because you idiot! This was my home too! Even though it ran me out twice, even though the people inside tried to kill me and left me for dead out there, I still think of it as my home! Trust me Allen, if the Brotherhood had wanted to kill everyone here and take this place over, they would've just done it! You know why they didn't? Because they give a damn about the people out here! They aren't like the scum we just killed to save everyone! Now shut up!" He said, pulling his mask up just so they all knew who he was. He pushed Allen back, then walked back up onto the table next to Amata.

"Look! I know some of you hate me! I've caused a lot of trouble, and I accept that fact. But if you don't listen to me, it will end up much worse for you later. Please, just look at this." He said as he showed them the order for Vault 101. Its intensions and purpose laid bare for them to see. He then pulled up the designs, showing where the containment shell would fail. The atrium was completely silent as people looked on, unable to believe it.

"Everyone. I know this is hard to swallow, but we need to face the facts here. The Vault is no longer safe to live in and we are being offered all the help we need to get back on our feet." Amata said, working quickly to grab everyone's attention. Many people in the crowd looked uncertain and worried.

"B-but where will we go?" A woman, who Collin recognized as Butch's mom, asked worriedly. She'd voiced the biggest question out of the group, and had effectively opened the flood gates. Collin was quick to calm everyone down so he could speak.

"We have a place for you. I assure you that it is safe. It will be well guarded by the Brotherhood. You'll have all the food and water you'll need. Other people are already there. They can help you survive, teach you what you need to know." Collin said as he pulled something out of the traveling pack he kept with him.

"This will help as well. It's a book. The Wasteland Survival Guide. A lot of good information in it." He said as he handed it to Stanley, the vault technician who'd given him his Pipboy when he was ten. Stanley was one of the few who would still look him in the eye after all this time. Collin gave him a smile, which the older man returned with a nod. He walked back up to the table and climbed onto it.

"That's all I can offer. To either increase your chances out there now, or leave, and hope you all come out alright when it does happen. I won't ask you all to leave until morning, but I am going to ask for volunteers." Collin told them as he looked out over the group of people who he'd come to call a family at one point and time.

"I want three people to come with me back to a nearby settlement. I have a house there where we can stay. I'll show you that the wasteland isn't all bad. That you can make a life for yourself and your family out here if you work for it. Meanwhile, these guys right here will stay and watch the hole those raiders blasted in the wall so you guys can get some sleep." He said as he sat down on the table to see if anyone would volunteer.

His first volunteer surprised him. Amata sat down beside him with a smile. "If it's my people that are going to be at risk. I want to see firsthand what the wasteland is like." She said as she stood next to him. A few of the residents, and Collin himself, looked like they were going to argue against it. She quickly stopped them from doing so. "I'll be fine. I trust Collin." She said, smiling at him and refusing to listen. After a few moments, two more stepped forward.

"I'll go too. Someone to help protect Ms. Almodovar." Officer Gomez said as he stepped forward in full riot armor. Collin smiled a little, glad that Gomez was still on his side. It would help all the more to have him put trust in the plan. People looked up to him, and Collin needed that trust. His final volunteer was Paul Hannon Jr. One of the old members of the Tunnel Snakes.

"I wanna see if the wasteland is as tough as you say it is." He chuckled, and something told Collin that he was a little more serious than his reason let on. Collin nodded, and turned to the Brotherhood soldiers.

"Keep them safe guys. You see a raider come down that tunnel, don't let him think twice." He said with a smile. Reyes nodded, and smirked under his helmet as his men took up positions around the entrance. He watched as Amata handed over temporary control of the Vault to her father. Collin smiled, giving her the benefit of a doubt. He whistled to Dogmeat, and went to wait for them at the entrance to the Vault.


	4. Chapter 4

Hey everyone! Sorry I'm late getting this post up. I've had midterms lately and they've taken away all my free time. I wanna thank everyone who has taken the time to read this story and I hope that all of you enjoy it. If anyone has any suggestions or questions, feel free to leave them as a review or PM me. I'm always looking for feed back to help me improve.

-I've noticed a small mistake I made. I hadn't realized that Paul Jr. died during 'Escape!'. It's nothing major as it doesn't effect the game history in anyway, just figured I'd call myself on it.

-**Guest:** To answer your question. Butch is still in Rivet City where you can recruit him. He escaped the vault during the mission 'Trouble on the Homefront' and resides in the Muddy Rudder. He is going to become involved in this story a little later on.

* * *

Collin watched as the door to the vault slowly ground its way open. His three followers, all somewhat nervous, waited with him. He motioned to them and slowly walked out, easing his way past the century's old skeletons as Dogmeat took a moment to sniff at them and grab himself a bone. The scent of earth filled his nose, along with the somewhat fresh air that was inside the cave. The small group turned on their pipboy lights as Collin led them to the old rickety door.

"Ready?" he asked. They all nodded. Collin pushed the old door open and let the cold night air of the wastes rush in. The moon was high in the sky by now, and multiple stars had come out as well. The night was peaceful, the sound of small animals calling out was all they could hear. Collin moved himself out of the door, letting them come out and see the world. He could hear them gasp as they caught their first glimpse of the world. There was a strange beauty to the wastes, even past all the destruction and death, the world still held a little beauty.

"W-wow. It – it isn't what they'd shown in the hollow tapes, but still, I never thought I'd see this." Officer Gomez said as he gazed out over the moonlit wastes. Collin turned, looking at Amata and Paul. Amata's jaw was slightly open, while Paul Jr. looked on with wide eyes. All three of them eventually focused on the glowing source of light set roughly a mile away. The warm glow of Megaton's lights shone above its high walls, giving off a presence of life. Looking back to them, he nodded.

"That's Megaton, it's our destination. Welcome to the Capitol Wasteland." Collin greeted them. They all came back to their senses and followed him down the slope to the cracked pavement of an old road. He had a clear sight all the way to Megaton, and with the wasteland beasts starting to calm down for the winter, their path was clear.

The large gates of Megaton soon loomed over them, his three guests in awe of the fact that people with no equipment at all had dragged the massive aircraft parts that now formed a wall around the town. When they came within a certain distance, they heard someone call out to them.

"Halt, identify yourselves and state your business!" Collin heard Stockholm yell from his snipers perch. He could see the man already had his scoped hunting rifle aimed at them. He slowed down and looked up.

"Ease up there Stockholm. It's me! Sorry, bringing in a few friends. New to the wastes like I was a few months back." He chuckled out, remembering the story of his first day out. He'd been so afraid of the Protectron that guarded the gate he'd almost shot it before the sniper had stopped him. The man set the rifle down and waved a little.

"Out a little late there aren't you Collin? Well, get your friends inside. We heard gunfire coming from Springvale earlier." He said, then turned and spoke into an old intercom. The jet turbine powered up, letting out a whine as it used its power to lift open the wing that served as a drawbridge over the door.

"Don't worry about it. That was the Brotherhood, clearing a few raiders from the school." He yelled up to Stockholm as they walked through the slowly opening main gate. A flood of light and sound hit Collin as they walked in. Megaton had changed since he'd first arrived. With the end of the Enclave war, the traders of Canterbury Commons had been able to expand even further beyond what Collin had managed to help them. A few trade stands had been set up at the bottom of the crater, becoming the Market. They were away from the water and the Children of Atom, but held the most central location in town. The stands sold everything, from a few of Lucky Harith's weapons, to Crazy Wolfgang's junk. Thanks to Uncle Roe setting the kiosks, Megaton was quickly becoming an important hub for anyone on this side of the Potomac.

This, of course, meant that the Market was busy most days and late into the night on occasion. Strings of old lights had been hung between the buildings, brightening up the streets as people wandered about. Collin turned, offering his friends a quick smile.

"This is Megaton. One of the larger towns out in the wastes. I know it seems rough, but this place can really grow on you if you let it. Down there is the market, along with the Brass Lantern and a clinic." He said as he pointed the buildings out. He then turned to the other buildings of note. "Up there is Crater Side Supply, the town general store. Across from that is Moriarty's Saloon, a place you'll want to avoid." He warned them as he led them along a side road.

"Finally, this is my place." He pointed out his square corrugated steel and scrap house for them. He led them down to the small patio outside it, where his bike sat under a shed he'd built. Collin opened the door, letting Dogmeat run inside as the others followed him. His house was well furnished compared to most. His living room held a Nuka-Cola machine, a jukebox, his bobble head stand, and a large couch with two chairs. Everything was dirty, but it was comfortable.

"Make yourselves at home. Officer Gomez, you and Paul can figure out who gets the spare bed and who gets the couch. Amata, you'll get my room for the night." He said as he walked over to a foot locker he used for storage, he pulled out a large sack filled with caps. He divided a portion of the caps into three stacks of three hundred caps, then placed those into three small coin purses.

"These are your currency. I'm giving each of you three hundred caps. My advice is to first stop by Crater Side Supply. Talk to Moira about getting your vault suits armored, or invest in a good set of leather armor. She's a little eccentric, but she means well." He chuckled.

Paul walked up, taking one of the coin pouches and putting it in a pocket on his jumpsuit. "Uh, thanks Collin. But, I gotta ask. Why are you being so helpful to us? After the way some of us treated you, most would've turned their backs on us and left us to die. Why aren't you man?" He asked, voicing the other two's thoughts as well. Collin sighed, turning to them with a small smile.

"Because. You guys are still my family. Dad taught me to never turn your back on your family. I won't lie, it was rough getting run out of my home. Doesn't mean I won't lend a helping hand to you guys the second you need it. I want to give my family the best chance possible at making it out here." He said, holding out his hand. Paul took it, shaking it firmly.

He smiled to the others, then nodded to the door. "Well, don't wait around on my account, go explore the town a little. Megaton is safe enough. Just don't pick a fight with anyone. I'm gonna get out of this armor." He said as he headed down to his basement, leaving Dogmeat on the couch and the three of them to go explore.

His basement was cool, and the air felt nice as he removed his armor. He nodded to Wadsworth, who was currently in sleep mode at his recharging dock. He quickly cleaned off the inside of the armor with some water, then hung it up on its rack. Collin pulled one of the old ACU jackets on, leaving it unzipped as he grabbed a bottle of water and headed back upstairs. He noticed that Amata was still there. She'd taken a seat on his couch, petting Dogmeat as he happily rested his head on her lap. Collin smiled a little and sat down beside her.

"What're you still doing here? I figured you would be the first one wanting to go explore." He said with a chuckle.

"I do want to. But I'm a little nervous." She told him with a small smile. "Exploring the Vault is one thing, this… is different. I know you said this place was friendly, but I got more than a few looks when we walked in." She told him. Collin nodded, even with Lucas Simms guarding the town, a few of the visitors could get wild once they had enough liquor in them.

"Well, I'll go with you. Show you what there is to do in Megaton." He said as he stood up, a smile on his face as he pulled her up with him. She nodded and quickly followed him out the door. They headed back to the main path, walking down the slope into the center of town.

Amata quickly stopped him and pointed to Megaton's name sake. "Uh, Collin. What is that!?" She asked, body tensed at the sight of the massive explosive. Collin calmed her down before she panicked too much.

"Nothing to worry about. I disarmed it when I first came here. One of my first ways to help." He told her, then convinced her to continue walking. They walked past the Brass Lantern just as the door flew open, followed by the drunken form of a man flying through it to the ground.

"And that means stay out! Here, you can have your friend too! You Jackass!" Jericho yelled from the door as he and Leo threw a second man from the bar. The first man stumbled to his feet, and attempted to go back inside, swaying from the amount of alcohol in him. Jericho grinned and walked outside.

"A-and what're you g-gonna do if I don'?" The drunk slurred out, wanting a fight. Jericho let out a short laugh as he grabbed the man by the front of his shirt and, with all the force he could muster, head-butted the drunk. The man's eyes rolled into the back of his head as he slipped into unconsciousness. Jericho let him fall to the ground, leaving his buddy to haul him away.

"Heh, dumbasses. Not my fault they can't play poker worth a damn." Jericho said as he took a swig from a flask he kept with him. Collin couldn't decide if he should laugh or sigh at the situation. He settled for a small chuckle.

"More trouble makers Jericho?" He asked. The old raider turned and chuckled.

"Nah, just dumbasses who can't hold their liquor. A lot more of 'em here tonight than usual." He said as he turned away to go back inside. "Steer clear a' Moriarty's tonight Two Shoes. He's got some kind of poker match going on. The sheriff is already over there, keeping an eye on things." He said as he disappeared. Collin shook his head, of course Moriarty would be extorting money tonight.

"Uh. Who was that?" Amata asked as they walked through the center of town. The vendors were calling out there wares to anyone who passed by, mixing in with the general hum of the area. She then laughed a little. "And why did he call you Two Shoes?"

"Oh, that was Jericho. He was a raider who lived long enough to wise up and get out of being a raider. He basically just acts as a town guard now." He told her, then scratched the back of his head at the mention of the name. "Heh. He says that I'm a Goody Little Two Shoes because I go around helping people. He thinks it makes me weak." Collin chuckled as they walked along, going up one of the paths to Moira's store.

A bell jingled as they walked in. Moira was at her workbench, working on God knows what. The distinct smell of burnt electronics and melted plastic filled the air. Collin watched as she set her tools down and turned to them.

"Oh, hello there! How are you Collin? Who is this, a friend I hope. What brings you to my shop! I'm Moria, nice to meet you!" She said in her usually happy tone as she shook Amata's hand. Collin suppressed the smile that was forming, knowing that Amata was caught off guard by the often over energetic tinkerer.

"I- I'm Amata. I was wondering if you could maybe armor this for me." Amata told her the second she was able to get a word in. She held up the spare vault suit she'd brought with her. Moira broke out into a smile and quickly took the suit from her.

"Ohh! You must be with the other two! They mentioned that Collin here had recommended stopping by. I'll get right on that in a jiffy! Should have them by tomorrow." She said as she sat the suit down with two others. She turned and held out her hand, "That'll be 75 caps please! Anything else I can get you?" She asked. Amata, still slightly confused, pulled out her coin purse and pointed out the amount necessary.

Collin nodded and walked forward, dumping some caps onto the table. "See if you can scrounge each of them up some biker goggles. It could get windy out there tomorrow. Oh, and throw in some traveling packs like you got me." He told her as she counted out the caps with practiced ease. Moira nodded, quickly scribbling the things down on a notepad she kept. Collin nodded, scooping up the remaining caps as he turned to Amata. "Anything else you need?"

She shook her head no. Moira smiled, "Just stop by if you need anything else! I'm glad I could be of service!" She told them as they left. Collin chuckled at the puzzled look still on Amata's face. He leaned against the railing of the raised path, turning to face her.

"I told you. Moira is… interesting." He chuckled. "You get used to her after a while." He smiled as they walked around, looking at the sights. Collin spotted Paul and Gomez down at the Brass Lanterns outside bar, trying some of the local food. The two seemed to have mixed in with the population well enough, holding a conversation with Billy Creel and a few of the Lantern's regulars.

"So, anywhere else you want to visit?" He asked her as they walked around the upper ledge of town. Collin could hear Confessor Cromwell preaching one of his sermons to anyone who would listen. Amata looked thoughtful for a moment, then shook her head.

"To be honest Collin. I'd like to just go back to your home and catch up. I haven't seen you in months. We were so busy when you came back the first time. I barely got to speak to you." She told him, a small smile on her face. Collin couldn't help but smile as well, he'd wanted to catch up with her as well. He nodded, leading her back to his house.

He called up Wadsworth as soon as they walked in, pressing a small button on the wall to summon the Mr. Handy from his recharging dock. Amata was a little surprised at seeing a working Mr. Handy here, but she was beginning to accept the oddities of the Capitol Wasteland.

"Ah, what may I do for you Master? I see we have a guest this evening. Shall I prepare something to eat?" He offered. Collin smiled, the robot being polite as always.

"Thank you. Wadsworth, this is Amata Almodovar. She and two of her friends will be staying with us tonight. Could you fix up two of those Brahmin steaks, along with a box of Insta-Mash and some Mac and Cheese?" Collin asked. The butler almost seemed to imitate a nod, one of its eye stalks tilting downward and rising back up.

"Of course Master Sharp. I do hope Ms. Almodovar enjoys her stay here." The robot said as it hurried off to the kitchen. Collin turned away from the robot as he settled onto the couch. He relaxed a little, stretching and popping his neck.

"It seems like you've made a life for yourself up here." Amata started as she sat next to him. "Your own home, a friendly pet. You have a way of income and you help people every single day. You even have your own butler!" She said chuckling a little as she looked around at some of the things in his home.

"This place is fairly well furnished. You even managed to find all of those stupid bobble heads that were Vault-Tec collectibles. But, I've noticed something. Where is your Dad?" She asked, breaching the subject he'd dodged back since his last visit to the vault. Collin sighed, then ran a hand through his hair. The subject of his father was still very raw in his mind. He'd been so caught up with the Enclave and Project Purity that he hadn't had time to even mourn.

"H-he's dead Amata." Collin said softly as he looked up at her. "I found him. He was trying to get a great project up and running. Trying to give fresh water to all of the people here. Some bad people came, trying to take over and use the project to control everyone in the Wasteland. Dad made sure they couldn't." He felt two arms wrap around him as Amata hugged him.

"Oh. I'm so sorry Collin. James was a good man." She said as she patted his back. Collin nodded. He'd found his peace with his father's death, but it still bothered him at times.

"That was the only time I wasn't able to protect someone. I vowed that I'd never let something like that happen to my loved ones ever again. At least he's in a much better place now." He told her as she patted him on the back gently.

"He would be proud of you Collin. I know it." She said, offering him a small smile in comfort. He smiled back after a moment, leaning back against the couch as she let him go. Wadsworth got their attention as he came in with two plates of food. They sat around, eating and talking until the other two returned.

Collin got them into their rooms and ready to sleep. They had a long trip ahead of them tomorrow. He smiled as he settled onto the floor of his own room, Amata taking the bed after a few minutes of arguing. "Goodnight Amata." He told her as he lay his head against his rolled up bedroll. Dogmeat wandered over and lay down next to Collin, same as they did when they were traveling. She replied with the same, then flicked off the lamp next to his bed. Collin closed his eyes, drifting off into a light sleep.


	5. Chapter 5

The sun had barely risen by the time Collin woke himself up. He dressed quickly and slipped out of the house. A handful of Megaton residents were already up and about. The men and women who worked the market setting up their stands for the day. The sun cast a light glow along the upper part of Megaton, while the rest stayed in twilight. There was a definite chill in the air, and Collin could see his breath as he walked along. He needed to help the people from 101 get set up in Old Olney fast, and was already forming a checklist of things in his head.

'_I'm gonna talk to Uncle Roe, see if I can get Old Olney put on the trade route. I need to talk to the heads over at Rivet City, see if they can send some extra food and water to Olney. The Brotherhood has some supplies there already, but these people won't survive off of old MRE's forever. We'll salvage what we can from the Vault. The food processors and water purifiers will come in handy to trade or use. But we have to find something that can help get everyone on their feet.' _He thought to himself as he walked to Moira's. The shop was silent, but Moira was already up and drinking a Nuka Cola.

She smiled as soon as Collin walked in, "Morning Moira." He greeted as he walked over to her counter. Taking another swig of her Cola, she smiled and walked into a back room, and came back out with a decent pile of gear.

"Good Morning! Here's the gear you ordered yesterday! I hope it helps." She said in her usually cheerful tone. Everything had been loaded into the three bags, which she'd marked with their names. Each bag also had a few stimpacks in it, along with small first aid kits. Collin smiled when he saw the three copies of the Wasteland Survival Guide, he thanked Moira and left, heading back to his home.

He was surprised to see Officer Gomez already awake and eating some brahmin jerky that Collin had made. He nodded to the younger man, who sat the bags down and joined him.

"So. What's on our list for today there Lone Wanderer?" He asked as he finished the last of the meat. Collin chuckled a little at the use of his name.

"Well. I need to know if everyone is settled on going with the Brotherhood or not. If they do. We're gonna load what we can from the vault and get the people ready to transport. The Brotherhood already has a convoy to transport us there." He told the older man.

He looked thoughtful for a moment, then turned to Collin. "I don't think you'll have to worry about that. These people trust Amata, if she says it's a good idea, they'll listen." He told the Lone Wanderer. Collin nodded, glad to hear it.

"That's good. I'd prefer it if everyone was able to leave the vault with help, instead of how I had to." He told the older man. Those first few weeks on the surface had been rough for him. "We need to get ready soon. Go get Paul up and both of you change into the new armor. I'll get Amata." He said, grabbing her things and heading upstairs.

Collin smiled as he walked through the door. He pulled a chair up, and sat down next to Amata. She was curled up in the blankets of his bed. She'd borrowed one of his shirts for the night, and was covered from head to toe in an effort to keep warm. He shook her gently, bringing her out of the slumber.

"Amata. Come on, time to get up. We've gotta get back to the Vault. Everyone is waiting on your decision." He told her as she slowly woke up. She sat up in bed and rubbed her eyes sleepily. She yawned then turned to him.

"How did you ever get used to getting up this early Collin? I was never able to wake you up back in the Vault." She chuckled, then shivered as she pulled the covers a little closer. "And how do you get used to it being this chilly?" She asked. He laughed at her shiver and removed his jacket, draping it over her shoulders. He sat her armored vault suit on the bed.

"I had to get used to it. Camping out in the open at night teaches you to keep an eye open. As for the cold, Dogmeat tends to sleep near me most nights." He told her as he stood, "Now go ahead and get dressed. Grab Gomez and Paul and meet me down in my basement." He smiled a little, then hurried out the door. He slipped into his basement as they all got ready.

Collin took a moment to sigh as he leaned against his bench. He wasn't sure how to react around Amata anymore. He was happy as hell to see her again, but there was still a barrier between them. He wasn't a part of the vault anymore, he was a waste-lander now. The Lone Wanderer was what most referred to him as. He wanted to be close to her again, but he was afraid as well.

He pushed the thoughts from his head, using the task at hand to keep them away. He pulled three weapons crates over to his work bench. They were old and wooden, painted in a faded OD green with a white star on the lid. Each one could hold five rifles. He loaded the first two with hunting rifles and the third with assault rifles. He hefted two ammo cans onto the table as well. Each held 500 rounds of .30-06 or 5.56 ammo. He turned when he heard footsteps coming down the stairs.

All three were a little wide eyed at the sheer amount of guns that were in the room, Collin couldn't help but chuckle. The citizens of Megaton considered it normal when he came back with five or six more guns than he left with. He turned to them, glad to see that they were in the armor. He grabbed two of the Garand's he'd recovered, handing them to Paul Jr. and Officer Gomez. He handed each of them a few clips of .308 ammo and quickly showed them how to load and fire the weapons.

"The M1 Garand Service Rifle. A good weapon. Semi-automatic with eight rounds per clip. You hit most things in the wasteland with this, they'll feel it." He told the two of them. They nodded, looking over the rifles as he turned back to a wall that held smaller weapons on it. He grabbed a 10mm SMG and handed it to Amata.

"Look, we're going to be traveling in a large group. Escorted by the Brotherhood. I don't think anything will be crazy enough to attack us, but it's a possibility. Amata, don't use this unless necessary. Stay under cover. These people need you." He told her. She nodded, then listened closely as he explained how to use the gun.

"I understand. I'll be careful." She told him. She knew how Collin could be, he was a protector. That trait had stayed with him, even here. Collin nodded as he looked at his pip boy.

"Okay, the convoy should be here soon. Help me get these crates upstairs." He told them as he hefted one himself. Gomez and Paul grabbed the other two while Amata carried the ammo cans. He had them stacked outside his door while he ran back inside to suit up. He went about quickly strapping his armor on, making sure everything fit properly. Dogmeat padded up to him, his tail wagging eagerly and ready to follow his master. He grabbed his holotags from the table, along with the small cross necklace he'd attached to them. He put it on, hiding them under his armor. Last was the balaclava, hiding his face behind the skeletons grin.

The convoy was waiting for them, five rebuilt M35 cargo trucks with the Brotherhood symbol painted on the doors. The drivers wore a suit of grey combat armor so they could fit in the cab. The lead and tail trucks had BoS soldiers manning .50 caliber machineguns, and each truck had an initiate riding in the passenger seat. Collin looked up to the Paladin on the lead truck as he left the gun and hopped down.

"Paladin Thompson, in charge of 2nd squad, Overland Transport." He said, giving the Lone Wanderer a quick salute. Collin returned it as he looked over the group of trucks.

"I thought we had a Vertibird on overwatch?" He asked the Paladin, who shook his head.

"No, Sir. A squad came under fire from Talon Company near Greyditch, the bird was called away to support them."

Talon Company had been dormant since the Enclave War. Their numbers being decimated by both the Enclave and the super mutants. They'd gone underground and rebuilt though, with the Brotherhood and mutants both licking their wounds after the war. Collin nodded, accepting that this would be another problem for them to deal with. He climbed back up into the truck as the Paladin remounted the gun, then helped the others load up the ammo and themselves into the truck. He grinned as Dogmeat made the leap into the back of the truck and walked over to sit against the cab.

Thompson gave him a nod, then pounded his fist on the top of the cab a few times, "Alright, let's move out. The Vault isn't far from here." He ordered. The trucks rumbled into life, diesel engines roaring. The brotherhood had gained a surprising amount of JP-8 diesel from Rivet City's aircraft fuel stores, a nice tradeoff for getting their nuclear plants up and running.

It was a rough ride, but Collin knew that it certainly beat walking. He laughed a little as the truck bounced, making him grab a nearby hand hold. Amata gave him a strange look, "What's so funny?" She had to yell a little over the diesel engines.

Collin grinned as he watched the others try to hold on as well. "I- it's just funny trying to hang on." He said, then grunted as Dogmeat wound up in his lap. He'd been fighting to stay balanced until he gave up and settled for using his master as a seat.

"Ugh, your heavy boy." He chuckled as Dogmeat licked his hands a few times. Collin knew what he wanted and pulled a bag out of an inner pocket from his pack. "Yeah, I know what you're wanting." He smiled as he poured out a few chunks of squirrel and iguana bits and fed them to the dog.

He looked over at Amata, who let out a small giggle as she watched them. "Really. You two are the classic description of a boy and his dog." She said as she rubbed Dogmeat's head a little. Collin chuckled and shifted a little in the truck bed. They were traveling through the ruins of Springvale now, and Collin could see the overlook that led to Vault 101's entrance. The trucks lurched to a stop at the bottom of the hill as he and the others dismounted.

"Let's go get the others. We'll be back Paladin." Collin said as they walked up the path, leaving the Brotherhood soldiers to set up a defensive position. He pushed open the old door, letting the others walk down into the cavern. He smiled when he saw two of Reyes's men standing guard at the door. Holding up his Garand with one arm, Collin whistled loudly to get their attention. One of the men returned the gesture by raising his arm as the other spoke into his radio set. Moments later, the sound of machinery and grinding steel filled the cavern as the vault door opened.

Reyes was waiting for them as the steel door slid to the side, beside him stood Alphonse and Stanley. Alphonse couldn't stop himself as he hurried over to his daughter. "Amata, are you okay? How did things on the surface go?" He asked, the notable tone of a worried father in his voice.

"I'm fine, nothing happened, Collin just took us to see a nearby settlement." She smiled to reassure him. "So, has a decision been made yet?" She asked him. Alphonse sighed and shook his head as Stanley stepped forward.

"Unfortunately no. That idiot son in law of mine has caused a rift. He's managed to get enough people on his side to make those who want to go have second thoughts. Allen Mack is trying to rile everyone up in the atrium right now, can one of you go talk some sense into him?" The mechanic asked as he pinched the bridge of his nose in exasperation. Amata nodded as she headed off to the atrium. Collin followed close behind.

The atrium was a complete mess. Allen Mack had put himself on top of a table with two respectably sized guys on either side of him as he shouted to the crowd. "Why should we believe him after him and that father of his brought so much trouble to our Vault! He's a murderer! He killed my son Stevie Mack! Not to mention that he held our Overseer at gunpoint!" He had the crowd's attention, many of the faces seemed to be pretty set on going, but doubt was showing on more than a few. Amata hurried in, trying to disarm the situation.

"Allen Mack. What're you saying!?" She asked incredulously. He sneered at her in distaste. Amata walked to the front of the room, standing between him and the crowd. "Everyone! Don't listen to him. I've been up to the surface. You can see that I'm safe, as are Paul Junior and Officer Gomez. You all have my word that we can trust Collin." She told them, hoping to sway them back to the right side. "It'll be a bit tough to adapt, but I know we can do it! Collin has assured that he will help us!" She told them.

Allen started laughing, "Oh please, we know you're friends with him. You always have been. The way I see it, I shouldn't trust you any more than I trust him. You're too inexperienced to be Overseer anyway." He told her. Collin had been standing off to the side, but he stepped forward when he heard this. He headed for the table that Allen Mack was on, the two residents turned guards trying to stop him. Collin shoved them out of the way as he jumped up onto the table. He'd grown while out in the wasteland, add his combat boots as well, and Collin was almost a foot taller than Allen Mack was.

Collin pulled his mask down so Allen could see his anger, "You know Allen, you're right. I did do a lot of that. I did kill your son, along with multiple other guards in the vault. But your son was a murderer too! I watched as he admitted to being the one who shot Jonas. And immediately after, he tried to kill me and Amata. Stevie Mack was crazy Allen." Collin told the man, who went into a blind fury.

"He- he He was doing his job damn it!" The man said, not wanting to believe it. He let out a growl of frustration, seeing that he was losing the crowd. Even his supporters didn't look so sure. He lunged at the Lone Wonderer. Collin took the punch full force in the chest. The man had a decent swing, but it was nothing compared to a raider hyped up on Jet and Buffout with a pair of brass knuckles. He stopped the man's second punch and worked his jaw a little to loosen it up. He forced Allen Mack to the ground, then let go of his fist.

"You listen here Allen. I don't care what you think about me. Hate me with everything in you if you want. But you will not put anyone else from this Vault in danger. You wanna stay behind and let the radiation cook you from the inside out then be my guest, but the rest of these people are going with me." Collin said, leaving no room for argument. He watched as Wally and Susie Mack came forward to help Allen down. "Amata, help get everyone ready. Get the food processors, as much medical supplies as possible, tools and clothes." He said handing her a list of what they needed to gather up.

She took the list from him and nodded quickly, "Alright everyone, we need to split up and start gathering theses supplies. Stanley, I need you to gather five men and get as many of the tools and any batteries you can, then bring up two of our smaller food processing units! Officer Gomez, take the vault security guards and gather up all the weapons, ammo, and armor we have in the armory, then go and grab as many medical supplies as possible. Mr. Brotch, take all of the students and gather up as many education holotapes as you can. Math, Science, Reading and Writing are your main focuses, then start bringing as many dry rations and canned food here as possible. Everyone else, grab small personal belongings and two extra vault suits. Put them in your personal luggage. Set everything here in the atrium to be loaded into trucks." She ordered quickly. Everyone scattered, going with the selected groups that they worked in. Collin nodded to her with a small smile, she was a natural leader.

"Come with me. I have some things for you." She said as she headed to the upper levels. Collin nodded, curious as to what it was. They headed to her personal room, next to the overseers office. He could hear the security guards nearby cleaning out the armory. He looked around as she opened a drawer and pulled out a small box and handed it to him. "It's some of your personal belongings from when you had to leave. I kept them for you." She told him as she started gathering her own things.

Collin sat down on her bed, opening the box. Inside were multiple things. His ball, cap, and glove from his baseball team. The Grognak the Barbarian issue she'd given him, also included were two pictures. One was him and his father on his tenth birthday with the BB Gun, another was of his father and Mother. Collin gently picked up the picture of his parents, smiling softly as he fully believed that they were in a better place now. He tucked the picture up under his helmet and into the lining so it would be safe. "Thanks Amata, that means a lot." He smiled softly as she packed her things.

She smiled back and finished, then looked curiously. "I've been meaning to ask. Where is Butch? He slipped out the last time you were here." She told him. Collin chuckled a little, recalling the tunnel snakes leader.

"Butch is in Rivet City, the Wasteland changed him. He traveled with me a while when he realized I was his best chance at learning to survive. He's finding work as a barber and a bouncer in the Muddy Rudder. A bar." He told her with a chuckle. Amata laughed and shook her head.

"I never would've figured. He always hated that title." She laughed and gathered the last of her things. She took one last look around. "I'm going to miss it here." She told him. Collin nodded.

"You do for a while. It'll get better. The vault can still live on in you through your memory." He told her as he headed out into the hallway. Amata followed close behind.

The Atrium was already filling with supplies by the time they got back. Officer Gomez and his men had all the useful weapons, ammo, and armor stacked and ready to go and had started work on the medicine. Everyone was working steadily, he turned to the Brotherhood Knights standing before him. "Alright, let's start loading this into the trucks." Collin said as he lifted a few crates, knowing that a mass migration had begun.


	6. Chapter 6

Hey guys, sorry about this being so late. I had a lot on my hands and I honestly had to think with myself as to decide if I wanted to keep writing or not with college starting back. Well, for anyone still reading I want to thank you all for sticking with me through my horrible habbits. I will try to update steadily.

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Collin looked on as Reyes and his squad loaded the last of the equipment into the first and last trucks in the column. Reyes jumped from the truck, its shocks relaxing from the loss of the power armors weight. "It's all loaded Knight, bring the civilians out when they are ready. We will resume our patrol as soon as the convoy is under way." He told Collin as they watched his men make sure everything was loaded and secured properly. Collin nodded in thanks, then used his own coms to contact Officer Gomez.

"Gomez, we're ready up here. Bring everyone up when you're ready." He informed the Vault Head of Security as he scanned the open expanses of wasteland around him. A convoy like this was bound to attract the attention of anyone in the wastes. He heard the old door open, and watched as everyone began filtering out into the sun. He watched as they timidly moved out of the cave, the excitement and shock on their faces was somewhat amusing, reminding him of himself when he first set foot outside. After living in the tight confines of a vault where the biggest space was the atrium, the open expanse of the outside world could be overwhelming.

Amata made her way to the front of the crowd and hopped into the back of one of the trucks. "Okay everyone, I know this is a big change, but you'll have more time to get used to the outside as we travel and when we arrive! We need everyone to load into the backs of these three trucks. Hold your bags in your laps and make room for others." She told them, then stepped aside. The Brotherhood soldiers were quick to take over the loading process, helping older members and children into the trucks. It was a tight squeeze, but they managed to fit all fifty members of the vault into the remaining trucks. Collin nodded to Paladin Thompson as he climbed up the side of the third truck, sanding on the running boards next to Amata. The Paladin settled into the lead trucks gun position and pounded a fist on the hood. With a rev of the engine, the first truck started forward, and with a jerk, the others followed.

The trucks were moving at a respective speed on the destroyed roads, a cloud of dust getting kicked up by the convoy as the road took them closer to D.C. itself. The lead truck had been reinforced at its front with a steel plow. Collin watched as it forcibly cleared the roads of wrecked cars and debris without even stopping. Some of the Vault residents would flinch with each sound of crunching metal as they took in more of the outside. Others were updating their pipboys with maps of the Capitol Wasteland, he'd transferred a copy of his map to Amata, Gomez, and Paul, allowing them to spread it throughout the three trucks. He even heard a few people who'd managed to tune into Three Dog, he smiled as 16 Tons finished playing and Three Dog himself came on.

"Man oh man, that Tennessee Ernie Ford is something else! Out there singing about the working man." Three Dog started with a chuckle. "Alright, time for the News! We here at GNR have been getting some reports in that Lyons Pride cleared out a group of well-organized raiders, seizing a large cache of weapons and supplies, they're out there fighting the good fight folks. Next time you see a Soldier of Steel, thank them for all that hard work. We also have reports that a group of traders from the Pitt recently arrived with a fresh load of steel and has begun trading with Rivet City and the Citadel. Looks like things may be starting to look up here in the Capitol Wasteland. Just keep that in mind folks, when things may be looking dark, we're in this together. So let's try to look out and help each other, cause that's what fighting the good fight is all about. Anyway folks, here are some more tunes to help you through the day!" The disk jockey said as he started playing more music.

Collin smiled at the reports, even with winter approaching, maybe things were starting to look up. He turned to Amata and smiled, she was looking after everyone, explaining questions, helping them to acclimate. He was just a soldier, plain and simple. He may know how to pick a lock or fix a broken machine or weapon, hell, he could even act as a basic medic. At his core though, he was still a soldier. He wore the armor and carried the weapons, he'd fought and bled and became a byproduct of the place he now lived in. A product of the good fight too, he supposed. They'd crossed over the bridge past the Super Duper Mart, and were now technically in D.C. itself. He became more aware, the bombed out and ruined buildings were perfect for an ambush. He pulled himself on up into the truck, next to Amata, who was now holding Dogmeat.

"Amata, if the shooting starts, get everyone down. You stay down and behind me." He told her, already placing himself between her and the side of the road that faced the city. At least the Potomac made sure they couldn't be hit from the other side. He watched as Amata slipped down a little more, making sure that she and the others were below the steel plates that had been attached to the side of the truck. He settled his M1 Garand on the plates, noting that the BoS and the Security Officers had done the same. The city was full of shadows and hiding spots, his eyes kept seeing ghosts in each one.

It was then that Collin did notice movement, on the third floor of a burned out department store. Three people were standing, all well-armed. Oddly, they hadn't attacked yet, he flipped his mic onto the open channel. "I've got possible bandits at 11:00, 3rd floor window." He called out calmly, pointing his rifle in that direction. The two .50 cal machineguns turned, finding the targets, the three figures were dressed in makeshift armor. With only three people, Collin hoped the convoy was armed enough to scare them off.

Two of the people turned away, but a third kept watching them pass. The drivers sped up, wanting to make it to Wheaton Armory, where the Brotherhood had made a large outpost to recover as much from it as possible. He watched as they broke away from the city and into the open country and suburbs. The Chryslus building came into view as they crested a hill, and farther down, Collin could see a problem area. Bethesda, a community that was tightly packed and always full of raiders. Paladin Thompson quickly called out over the radio from his position in the lead truck.

"We will be entering Bethesda soon everyone, stay on your toes and watch all sides. This is raider country for sure. Drivers, don't stop, ram any blockades out of the way if you must, but do not stop." He called out, the trucks started to speed up. Anyone armed had become more alert, while everyone else had hunkered down in the trucks.

The first shot came from a high powered rifle, the ricochet smacked the hood of Paladin Thompsons truck and then embedded itself into the passenger side of the windshield of Collins truck. Screams rose up from the civilians around him as Collin ducked down a little.

"Shit, sniper!" He called out over the radio. He turned to everyone in his truck. "Stay down, protect the kids." He ordered them as they got lower. Dogmeat had begun to bark furiously, snarling at the raiders as Amata held onto his collar tightly.

"Dogmeat! Sitzen! Ferse!" He called out sternly. The police commands he'd taught Dogmeat had been worth it, even if he had to learn a few german words along the way. The dog instantly sat down and moved next to him, restraining himself to follow his Masters orders. Collin could hear that Thompsons .50 cal had opened up, he peeked up over the truck, trying to get a spot on the marksman. He watched as the impacts of the machinegun moved along a bombed out building, then stopped at a lone broken window. A lone figure tumbled from the building, but the trap had been sprung. Bullets began to pelt the trucks as they moved forward into the fray. Collin balanced his rifle on the hood of the truck, taking pot shots at a group of raiders with assault rifles. Everyone with a gun was firing, the two heavy guns on the trucks tearing down poorly built fighting positions. Collin's sights fell upon a raider just as a round slammed into his shoulder, he could feel the pain of it, knowing that the armor plating there had been effectively destroyed. He fired at the raider, sending bullets all around him and making the man duck behind cover.

Collin grabbed at his shoulder, feeling a small amount of blood seeping out from under the armor as they forced their way through. They were taking a lot of fire from the raiders, and Collin could see a few guards in the other trucks were being oddly still. The sound of crunching and twisting steel filled his ears as the lead truck rammed another car out of the road full force, Thompson still firing at anything that moved. Collin grabbed a grenade and pulled the pin, lobbing it into a nearby position and causing the fire to slack off a little. The trucks managed to ram through the last of the wreckage, breaking onto open road and out of the firefight. Collin leaned down, grasping his shoulder as he keyed Thompson on his radio.

"Thompson, I need you to radio ahead to the Wheaton armory. Tell them we are making a stop there to treat wounded civilians and military personnel, make sure they have a triage center waiting for us." He ordered the man as he pulled out a stimpack and injected it near his shoulder to slow the bleeding. He placed the armor plating over the wound before Amata or the others noticed, they were already scared, he didn't want them to see that. Collin closed his eyes, focusing on fighting off the pain while the stimpack did its work.


	7. Chapter 7

Sorry that this is so late coming out. College has been rough and I stay so filled with work that I rarely have time. Things are leveling out now so I think I will be able to start back to posting now. If anyone is still enjoying the series, then I am terribly sorry and I hope I can still keep my standard of writing up for you guys. Also, the Wheaton Armory I will be creating here will be different. Instead of a nuclear silo, it will now be more of a military supply depot. I apologize if anyone is angered by me breaking the canon somewhat.

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The gates to Wheaton Armory were open and waiting for them as the trucks pulled in. Collin looked up from the wound in his shoulder at the guard towers, glad that they were safe for the time being. Brotherhood scribes dressed in doctors clothing and carrying medical supplies came running out of a tent they had constructed off to one side of the large compound. Collin could see surgical equipment and one or two auto doc's inside it. He tried to stand, wincing as his shoulder screamed with pain when one of the plates pressed against it.

"Collin, you're hurt! Do you need a doctor? Just stay here." Amata said as she tried to stop him, he shook his head and sat down at the edge of the truck, the others ahead of him having already climbed out.

"I'm okay 'Mata, this isn't as bad as it looks." He told her as he dug a small medical pack from a pocket on his armor. Tearing the pack open, he pulled out the Med-X and another Stimpac that was inside. He injected the chems, sighing in relief as the pain faded away and the wound quickly began to heal. He pulled some bandages from the pack and used them to clean some of the blood and bandage the wound itself.

Collin looked up as the doctors and medics rushed to help everyone. People were either lead over or carried to a nearby medical tent with beds and doctors, some had doctors already swarming them, and an auto doc was being readied in the back of the tent. A slight emptiness entered him as he watched an initiate walk to the fourth truck in the column with body bags. He could see that one was far too small for any adult.

He quickly turned away from the trucks and tents, instead looking back to Amata, who was calming some of the other vault dwellers. He headed over to her and waited for her to finish. "How is everyone?" He asked, knowing that there would be bad news. Amata sighed as she leaned up against one of the trucks.

"Two of my Officers, Jackson and Williams, were wounded in the fight. Freddie Gomez is hurt in his shoulder. A few of the others have some cuts, or are just scared. But. We lost the Meade family." Amata told him as she ran a hand through her hair. Collin let out a small nod, knowing the feeling of losing men after fighting alongside the Brotherhood.

He placed a hand on her shoulder and squeezed it. "I'm sorry Amata. I didn't want to lose anyone, but… it's something you grow used to out here." He told her as he moved to lean against the truck beside her. He slid down the side of the truck, till he was sitting with his back on the tire. He set his helmet down and pulled his mask off to breath more easily. Amata eventually slid down beside him.

"I know, but it will take time. I just hope everyone else makes it there safely." She told him as she took a quick drink of some water and wiped her brow. "How much farther is it to the place you are taking us?" She asked him as she looked around at everyone sitting and talking.

"It isn't too much farther. The rest of the way is safer. We will stay close to Canterbury Commons, and the main highway is patrolled by the Regulators and Brotherhood. We can stay here until everyone is patched up, but then we should move on so we can arrive before sundown." He told her as he checked the distance on his Pipboy, then showed it to her in relation to them.

"Honorary Knight Sharp?" An initiate said as she walked up to where the two of them sat. "I am sorry to bother you, but our commander needs to speak with you inside the main building." She informed him. Collin nodded and stood up, the turned back to help Amata up. They both followed after the initiate, who led them inside and downstairs into the first level. Scribes and initiates moved about, cataloging weapons and supplies inside the warehouse area. The initiate with them pointed up to a catwalk that lead to an office. "Proctor Davis is up there." She told them as she headed back to the other members.

Collin hurried up the steps to where he could see the commander leaning against the railing as he watched the people below him work. He was an older man, dark haired with some grey starting to pepper his beard and hair. He wore a navy blue sweatshirt, and his pants were from a set of military fatigues. He also wore the chest plate from a set of combat armor, the Brotherhoods symbol painted clearly on the front. "Proctor Davis, you wanted to see me sir?" Collin asked as he quickly saluted the other man, he looked back to Amata, who just nodded respectfully.

"Yes, I did. In our time here, we have found a few weapons and some needed suits of armor. But our most important find where a set of plans for this building. Plans that revealed how large this base actually is. There are two more levels below this one. From what we can tell, one is a vehicle bay and storage for more weapons and supplies, and the lower level is the reactor for the base. If we could gain access to these levels, then it would provide supplies crucial to our cause. We think that your Pipboy will be able to crack the codes to get us access." He said as he disappeared into his office, only to return with a set of blueprints and a holotape for Collin's Pipboy.

"This holotape has a map of the lower levels on it, and will also mark where we think the controls for the reactor are." The Proctor said as he handed it to Collin. "Resistance should be light. Some feral ghouls should be the only thing down there. Since this is the case, I was wondering if you could lead a young group of initiates and squires down with you to get them some experience. They have already been armed, and the youngest of them is twelve so they all know how to use weapons. There are five of them." He said.

Collin felt his stomach tighten a little. Sure, he'd led men into combat before. But those were combat experienced soldiers who'd already earned their power armor, not some green recruits. He sighed, knowing that he couldn't turn down orders. "Sir, I'll do it. But I want to outfit them myself. I can cover the costs of their ammo if you can put their weapons and armor on temporary loan." Collin told the man. He didn't want to take any chances. The Proctor looked thoughtful for a second, then nodded.

"Agreed. One second Knight." He said as he traveled back into his office again, this time returning with a pink slip of paper. "Hand this to the supply master and she will draw what you need. Now, if you'll excuse me. I will go assemble the squad you'll be leaving me. Meet us by that freight elevator when you are ready." He said as he nodded to the both of them and headed towards the sleeping quarters. Collin sighed as he looked at the pink slip of paper.

"Are you really going to lead them down there?" Amata asked as she followed him towards the back of the warehouse they were in. She could see the apprehension on his face, even though she'd seen him lead men before.

"Yeah, I am. I don't like it though. They are young. This will be their first combat experience, and I have no clue what will be waiting for me down below." He said as he leaned up against the counter of the armory that was at the back of the building. He handed the slip to the woman behind the counter, having taken the time to write out what he needed from the armory. He also handed her a pouch filled with caps, asking for her to give him as much 5.56 ammo as that would get him. The scribe accepted both, and proceeded to gather his things.

"Don't you mean us?" Amata asked as she looked at him. "I mean, since you are taking them down there to learn, shouldn't I learn a little too?" She asked him. Collin turned and shook his head.

"Look. I do want to teach you how to protect yourself Amata, but this is Brotherhood business. My hands are tied about taking others down there with me since it is now Brotherhood Property. Besides, everyone from the Vault needs you right now. They need their leader to keep them calm after that ambush. Especially with that bastard Allen Mack still looking for any reason to turn them against you." He told her. "I promise that I will teach you all, but I don't think now is the best opportunity." He added.

Amata nodded. She wanted to go with him, but she also understood that what he was saying was right. "It's alright Collin. Just be careful down there. We'll all be waiting for you. Get them and yourself back safe." She said with a smile as she headed back out to the convoy. Collin gave her a small smile in return as he grabbed the weapons and headed over to the freight elevator.

"Squad, attention!" Proctor Davis called out as Collin stopped near them, he set the boxes down and looked over the group. Just as the Proctor had said, they were all young. With the youngest being a boy of twelve, and the oldest was a girl of sixteen. They all stood at attention, backs straight, eyes forward. Collin saluted the proctor, who ordered them to stand at ease. "Knight, meet Echo team. I've already filled them in on the mission, I'll leave the introductions up to you. Whenever you are ready, just use this to start the freight elevator down. It's the only thing we could power up to get you down there. Good luck. Ad Victoriam." He told them, and they responded with the same.

Collin turned to the group of young squires and looked them over. The small crew consisted of two girls and three boys. The eldest one, one of the two girls, stepped forward. She'd cut her orange hair fairly short, and she stood at around half a head shorter than Collin did. Intelligent, yet eager and excited green eyes stared at him. "Initiate Ayana Daniels and Echo Team reporting for duty Sir." She said while offering him a salute. Collin returned it quickly, although maybe not with as much energy as this girl seemed to have.

"So, you're the team leader then eh?" Collin asked her as he looked the team over. He caught sight of the second oldest, a boy who was nearly as tall as him with most of his head shaved clean. The other two girls appeared to be twins, both with dark hair and an oriental appearance. Finally was the boy who appeared to be the youngest. Collin placed him to be around five and a half feet tall, with brown hair and eyes that couldn't quite make contact with his own. They were all dressed in the red sweater and black pants that a non-combatant member would wear, although they had yet to be issued the combat vest that scribes wore for carrying equipment.

Daniels nodded to him and turned to her squad. "Yes, this is Initiate Obrieske." She said pointing to the boy with the shaven head. "And these two are Yui and Iori Yagamine, both Squires. Then, we have Squire Fletcher." She said, making sure to distinguish between the two twins. Collin nodded, then pointed to the gear that he had brought.

"Alright, I want each of you suited up in combat armor and ready to go. I also want each of you to grab one of the R-95 rifles there and eight magazines for them. From here on, the only order I will give any of you is this. If I tell you to do something down there, I expect you to do it. Otherwise, I want to see what Initiate Daniels can do while leading you." He told them simply as he leaned against the railing of the freight elevators side. They all answered with quick nods or yes sir's as they went about getting ready for combat. Collin watched each of them, making sure they put the armor on properly. He stood once they all seemed settled in and ready.

"Okay. If that is everything. Then lets get started." He said as he pushed the down button on the elevator itself. The old machine groaned to life as gears finally started working and moving after 200 years of silence. The hum of electric motors filled his ears as the elevators slowly descended downwards.


	8. Chapter 8

Hey everyone. Sorry about the late arrival of this. I've had to keep pace with all of my college work, but it's balancing out now so I can try to update more often. I hope you all enjoy this and I am always looking for feedback or suggestions to improve my writing. Remember everyone. Keep fighting that good fight.

* * *

The air down below was heavy and stale, they hadn't even gotten to the ground yet and the stench of two hundred years of decay had already filled Collin's nose. Dust swirled around as the relatively fresh air from above rushed inside, disturbing this tomb to the old world. Collin tugged two military glow sticks from his pack and broke them both, activating the glowing chemical and tossing them down into the room below. The yellow light spread out below them, revealing another storage area that spread out into the darkness.

"Lights on." Collin ordered as he flipped on his Pipboy light. Behind him, the lights on each of the squire's helmets flicked on, sending a piercing beam out into the darkness around them. He brought his rifle up to his shoulder, listening for any sounds of movement beyond the groans and protests of the elevator.

"Wow, it's a lot bigger than we had expected. Look at all of those shelves." Yui said as they all looked around. Collin nodded in agreement, but he was more focused on scanning the area. The sound of metal hitting concrete filled the group's ears as the elevator finished its decent. The electric whir of the motors became silent as it settled.

The air was silent as he let Initiate Daniels spread the group out, they all eased there way off of the elevator in a circle. The area was silent now, and the only light came from the glow sticks and the lights on their helmets. Collin perked up when he heard something in the darkness off to his right, a metallic scraping. Just as he turned, something leapt at him from the shadows. A hefty object impacted the side of his helmet. Stars exploded in his vision as he was tackled to the floor. The smell of rotting flesh and putrid breath filled his nose. A feral and insane screech filled his ears as two fists beat and clawed at the chest plate of his armor.

He was deafened for a moment by the gunshot that went off next to him. The body on top of him went limp. The entire top half of its head blown off by a 10 mm round. Collin grunted as he managed to push the body off of him, he sat up to see Obreiske holding the handgun. His hand was shaking slightly, but the look in his eyes showed that he was calm.

"You okay Sir?" He asked, his voice almost sounded uninterested in the entire situation, but there was a seriousness, that once again, could only be seen by looking into the young man's eyes.

Collin groaned and shook his head, "Y-yeah. I'm good. Fucking feral nailed me good with that pipe. Would've knocked my damn brains out without the helmet." He let the young soldier help him up, then he grabbed his own rifle, making sure it was okay. He looked to the rest of the group and nodded.

"Okay, at least we know what we are up against. Look, we'll have to clear them out anyway, so let's have them come to us." He could see that the only open door leading out of here was a large set of double doors that most likely lead to the main vehicle bay. He had the group set up a firing line facing that door, and once they were ready, he turned on the Pipboy's built in radio. The blaring music of Butcher Pete quickly resonated throughout the level, echoing off the walls. It wasn't long before they could hear screeches throughout the base.

The first group of feral ghouls came charging through the doors, stumbling over each other in an attempt to kill the group. They were five in total, all dressed in tattered army clothes, most of their flesh was gone, revealing red muscle and irradiated tissue beneath. They were met with a hail of gunfire from the group and fell fairly quickly. They could hear more growls coming, and as promised, more ghouls poured into the room. They kept up the intense rate of fire. Each ghoul needed multiple rounds to bring it down though. They didn't feel pain, so until enough physical damage was done to actually kill them, they wouldn't back down.

Collin kept his rifle tight to his shoulder as he shot a ghoul twice in the chest. He kept firing into the ghouls as they charged out, hitting one and ripping its arm off before another two rounds hit it in the stomach. He fired at another ghoul, firing point blank into its chest. A sharp clang resounded from his rifle to signal that it was out of ammo. Reloading quickly, he brought the rifle back up, but no more ghouls came through.

The entire group was breathing heavily as they watched the door. Collins ears rang, and his eyes stung from the gun smoke in the air. As the ringing left his ears he could hear the sound of feet stumbling along as they slapped the concrete floor. A green glow started to light up the door, and suddenly a glowing, half rotted, hand appeared in the door.

The Glowing One growled as it struggled through the door. It's body glowing bright enough to show the outline of each bone in its decayed body. All of the hair but for a few greasy strands had long fallen out, and the little skin that hadn't rotted or flaked off was covered in blisters filled with radioactive infection. One of its leg's had been broken, then re-healed at an odd angle causing the limp. Both eyes were a milky white, as though it was blind, but it instantly looked right at the group before it. A horrid wail rolled from its mouth, and even the froth and spit that came from it glowed. The group barely had time to start shooting as it threw its arms back and a shockwave of radiation blasted from its body.

The shockwave threw them all back and to the floor. Collin could hear the Geiger counter tick frantically. He watched as Fletcher gripped his R-91 and sprayed at the Glowing One. Bullets ripped into its chest causing it to stagger. It stood back up slowly. The radiation was so intense that all the bullet wounds had quickly started healing. The other bodies on the ground quickly started to twitch again. Those that hadn't been shot in the head were revived by the radiation, and started pulling themselves off the floor.

Collin hefted his rifle as he lay there. Firing into its chest, he killed the ghoul closest to him. The squad had started shooting again, dropping the ghouls as they reanimated. He turned his rifle on the Glowing One and fired three times. Two of the rounds missed. The third one slammed into the ghouls kneecap, ripping its bad leg off. The ghoul fell to the floor. Another wailing screech coming from it as it struggled to stand again. Collin pushed himself off the floor as the others finished the rest of the ghouls off.

He watched as Initiate Daniels walked forward and pulled out her side arm. She put two laser bolts into the Glowing One's head, silencing it. "Is everyone okay?" She asked. They all nodded as they took a few breaths. Their faces were red and a light sheen of sweat coated each of their faces. Collin checked himself over. He was tired and his head was throbbing, but he was otherwise unscathed.

"Ugh. I think I'm gonna be sick." Fletcher's voice cracked as the young boy clutched his stomach. Sure enough, he could hear the retching behind him. Collin pulled out his water bottle and a small bottle of pills.

"Here. Everyone take a Rad-X. It'll get rid of a small dose of radiation like this. Save the Rad-Away for if we need it later." He said, taking a pill and drinking some water. The others nodded and followed suit.

"I think it's clear for now. At least I don't hear any more of those damned things." Obreiske said as he glanced around. He reloaded, replacing his spent magazine with a new one. "What's the plan Knight?" He asked Collin.

"We have to move deeper and find a way down into that reactor. Beyond this should be the garage. There will be a few other storage areas like this one, but that isn't our concern. We've just got to clear it out and get things back up and running." He said as he used his helmet light to peer into the garage. He pulled out a few flares and handed them to the twins.

"Strike those and toss them in." He said as he started to do the same. They tossed the flares into the room, a red light filling the large garage and illuminating what was inside.

"Damn. I, I think we hit a bit of a jackpot here." Fletcher said as he pushed his glasses up on his face and took a look at the vehicles inside. Collin looked on, wide eyed, at what they'd found. The motor pool had a few vehicles inside it. While Collin couldn't tell much about them. Iori however, seemed to practically jump at them.

"Oh wow! These are amazing!" She said as she headed to the first one in a row of three armored vehicles. " The M-113 armored personnel carrier. Each had space for 11 men in full combat armor or for 5 power armored soldiers. These were extensively used in the years up to the war." She told them as she walked around each one. Collin nodded, looking over each one as she talked. He took note that each one seemed to have a .50 cal heavy machine gun mounted on the front.

"And these guys." She said pointing to two larger vehicles. "M4A3E8 Sherman tanks. These things date back all the way to World War Two in design. The Army just kept upgrading them as time went on. They were called Easy 8's for short. Each one has a 76 mm high velocity cannon mounted on it. Then we have two .30 cal machine guns. One down in the hull, and the other hard mounted in the turret so the gunner could either use the cannon or the machine gun. Finally, it has a .50 cal mounted on top for an infantry soldier to use while on the back of the tank." She said excitedly.

"Okay Iori. It's a nice find. We get it." Her sister came up and pulled her away from the tanks with a sigh. "Sorry. She tends to get like this when there's new tech around." Yui told them. Collin chuckled softly to himself. He had a quick though about how she would get along great with Moira if the two ever met.

"It's fine. Let's just get back on mission for the time being." He said, giving them a nod as he looked around the large space. "Alright. Everyone fan out in groups of two. Lets find a way to get the lights back on in this place!" He called out, wanting to be finished and get back to Amata and the vault dwelers.


	9. Chapter 9

I just want to say thank you to everyone who has been reading this story. I hope that you are enjoying it and that I can continue to bring you that enjoyment with each new chapter. If you have any suggestions about the story, things I have mistaken about in the Fallout Universe, or ways to improve my writing and storytelling styles then I am open to all forms of feedback and criticism. I once again hope you guys are enjoying the story and would love to hear any feedback you have.

Fortunate Son, Out.

* * *

It took them a few minutes to find a way downstairs. They'd eventually found an elevator and stairwell that headed down to the bottom floor. They'd been tucked near the main control center for the storage area here. It had been Squire Fletcher who had finally noticed the two doorways.

"Good find Squire." Collin said as he pulled up the map on his Pipboy. "Okay, it looks like the floor below us consists of around four rooms. One looks like some sort of guard room or changing room for people who worked near the reactor. The second one is a control room for the reactor itself, which is where we should be able to get the thing back up and running. The final two contain the steam turbines for electricity production and the reactor room itself."

Initiate Daniels looked up, "It sounds like all we have to do is go down there and turn it on." She said, starting to feel a little overconfident since her team had handled themselves well against the ghouls.

Collin nodded, "Yeah, it always sounds easy Initiate. I wouldn't relax just yet though. These old bases always have a few surprises." He said. The last time he'd gotten sloppy on a mission had ended with an Enclave flashbang in his face and him waking up deep inside Raven Rock. He motioned for the group to follow him and started slowly moving downstairs.

The first sign of trouble was the body of a long dead ghoul. It was half decayed, and the pool of blood around it had long since dried to a dark brown. It was caught halfway in and out of the doorway, and half its head had been burnt off by something. There were burn marks on the ground all around the dead ghoul. Collin tried to move to sneak a peek into the room beyond, but stopped as his boot landed on one of the ghouls half rotted arms. He winced slightly as the bone made a loud crack as it snapped.

"_Alert! Presence detected! Beginning patrol protocol alpha!" _An electronic high pitched voice called out. Two steady foot falls could be heard in the room beyond. "_This is a government facility. Please step forward and present your ID for inspection._" The Protectron said as it patrolled around the room. Collin ducked back a little as he saw it cast a glow on the wall near the door. He waited for the glow to disappear before he took another chance at looking around the room.

He could see the back of the Protectron as it moved away from him. A few lockers lined the wall across from him, and what remained of a decontamination shower stood in the middle of the room. He could also see the glowing lights of two laser turrets placed at the corners nearest the reactor entrance.

"Damn." He muttered as he looked back to the squad. "There a protectron and two sentry turrets in there." He said as he thought about how to take down the robotic enemies. He didn't notice Fletcher till the young squire walked over to him.

"Uhm. I think I might be able to disable the Protectron, Sir." The young boy said. Collin looked up at him questioningly. "I've spent a lot of time studying how to maintain the Brotherhoods robots. If I can get close to the hatch on the back of it. I think I can cause it to short out." He said as he looked around. The others nodded in agreement.

"It's true Knight. I've watched him get a few of the busted up robots running back during our training at the Citadel. If Mark says he can do it, then I think he can." Obrieske said with a nod. Collin sighed, then turned, seeing that it wouldn't be long till the protectron would be making another loop of the room.

"Okay, wait for it to get to this doorway. Let's see what you can do." Collin said as he made room for the Squire to move forward. He watched as the boy eased down near the door, then waited in silence as they heard the robots footsteps getting closer. He could see its arm through the doorway as it turned, facing away from them.

The squire slipped out, opening the access panel on the back of the robot. The large body covered him from the scanners of the two sentry turrets as he worked. Collin could hear the sound of a switch being flipped, then of wires being pulled. After a few minutes, Fletcher flipped the switch again and closed the panel.

The protectron stood silent for a second, its servos whirring silently inside of it. Fletcher moved out of the doorway and came to stand next to them. The robot resumed its path again, walking at a steady pace. Collin was starting to think the boy had made a mistake when he heard it speak.

"_Error, cooling systems malfunction. Power overload eminent. Error! Error! Error!" _He heard the robot say as it knocked into something. He heard it thunk against a wall and go silent for a second before an explosion rocked the room inside.

Collin took a peek inside to see the smoldering remains of the Protectron. It had literally lost its head from the force of the explosion. The two sentry turrets were nearby, both shorted out with smoke slipping out of there casings. He looked back to the young squire in surprise.

"What did you do?" He asked Mark.

"Well, I first disabled the pump that kept the coolant flowing. Then I disconnected the override chip that would shut it down before a major failure. I hadn't expected the EMP that took out the other two robots." He said, looking a little proud at having proven himself.

Collin nodded, "Good work. You'll have to teach me that sometime." He said as he led them into the room. He headed straight back into the control room for the reactor and began to look it over. It was the only thing still remotely powered down here, its own microfusion reactor keeping it powered. Collin started looking everything over, and not seeing anything wrong, found an outlet to plug his Pipboy into.

The screen instantly launched into a series of inspection screens as the Pipboy ran through a basic hacking program. It took a few tries, but the small wrist computer eventually pulled up with a menu, showing him the various things stored on the computer.

"Here, we're in." He said as he pulled up a systems check for the reactor core. "Everything still looks good. No signs of the containment shield being damaged. Water pipes look clear. One of the turbines is down, but the other one is operational." He said, a small smile growing on his face as he moved onto a new selection method. "I'm going to bring the reactor back online." He said, making the selection.

A clunk was heard from inside the reactor room as the fuel rods were reset from there containment tubes. The sound of rushing water could be heard as it flowed into the boilers and heat was quickly vented in from the reacting material. It took a few minutes, but the one steam turbine slowly began to spin up before them, generating the electricity the base had long been short of.

"Throw those switches back there." He pointed them out to the twins, who quickly nodded and moved the large switches into the on position. Lights flicked on all through the base as it came back online. Everything was dirty, and some of the concrete walls had some mold stains on them, but there was power.

"We did it." He heard Obrieske say as the squad started to all talk excitedly. Collin couldn't help but smile a little as he heard them congratulating and high fiving each other. He unhooked his Pipboy from the control panel, then turned to face them.

"Indeed we did. I want to say that you all performed admirably as a squad. You kept your cool in a fight and some of you even demonstrated the skills you have." He nodded to Squire Fletcher, who stood a little straighter and with a small bit of confidence. "Keep this up and I think all of you will become valued members of the Brotherhood." He told them with a small grin. While this had been a fairly easy mission for him or for more experienced troops, he knew it was a big deal to this group of recruits. "Now, let's get up out of this hole and report back to Proctor Davis." He said as they all nodded excitedly.

They were greeted to a well-lit base as the elevator brought them back up. Sam looked up at the railing, where Proctor Davis was already waiting. Collin pointed him out to the group. They all came to attention as he walked down to greet them.

"Echo Team. Knight Sharp. I take it the mission went well?" he chuckled as the group relaxed slightly. Collin motioned for Initiate Daniels to deliver the report.

"Sir. Echo team successfully cleared the two lower floors of the compound. We encountered a handful of ghouls down there, along with the last functioning robots of the base. We then restored power to the facility when Knight Sharp reactivated the reactor." She said with pride as she finished the report.

Proctor Davis nodded with satisfaction, "Good to hear Initiate. Did you encounter any forms of usable technology while you were down there?" He asked.

"Indeed we did Sir. Squire Yagamine, if you could inform the Proctor of our findings." She said, motioning to Iori.

"Sir, we found multiple storage rooms and a motor pool. While we did not have time to search the storage bays, we did find a few vehicles in good condition. Three armored personnel carriers and two medium tanks to be exact sir." She said quickly, slightly nervous at addressing the proctor directly.

Davis nodded, perking up at hearing the amount of firepower down there. "This is excellent news. It would appear that the old world still has a few gifts left to give us. Good work today Echo team, Knight Sharp. You're dismissed." The older man returned to his office, letting them be.

Collin said his goodbyes, then quietly dismissed himself from the chattering group and headed outside. He smiled slightly as he could still see the convoy of trucks, along with the blue color of the vault suits. He whistled out, and it wasn't long before Dogmeat came running to him, barking happily at seeing his master again. Collin smiled as he kneeled down, rubbing the dog behind his ears. "Hey boy, did you behave while I was gone?" He asked grinning.

"He has. He also made some new friends with the children from the Vault." Amata said behind him. Collin smiled as he stood and turned to her.

"Good, he always loved kids. How are you?" He asked her, sure she had her hands full with keeping everyone calm as they learned about the new world they lived in.

"I'm okay. Tired, but okay." She looked a little closer at his head, noticing the red bump just under his helmet. "What happened here?" She asked him, pulling his helmet off to get a look at the spot.

"It's nothing. A ghoul just got the drop on me. Helmet took most of the impact." He said trying to reassure her. "I'm fine Amata." He said smiling. She eventually nodded and took her hand away, but he still noticed the look of concern on her face.

"Okay. I just want to make sure you're okay." She said as she looked over to the trucks. "The doctors have looked everyone over. We're ready to leave when you are." She said, eager to get here people to safety.

"Alright. Get everyone back on the trucks. Let's get these people to their new homes." He said as he lifted Dogmeat into the second truck, then helped her in as well. He climbed up, taking his original seat against the cab as the rest climbed in with them. He looked out, seeing Echo Team giving him a salute as the trucks started to move. He stood, quickly returning the same salute to them until the walls of the compound blocked his view.


	10. Chapter 10

Hey everyone! Sorry that this is late coming out. Midterms hit and have been taking a lot of my time with college. I hope you all enjoy this chapter, and all I ask is that if you enjoy the story, feel free to leave a review. Be it criticism of any kind, or pointing out any mistakes I have made, or even just letting me know that you guys are enjoying it. Anyway, on with the story. Fortunate Son, out!

* * *

"So, y'all heard about that vault over near Megaton right?" The card dealer said as he shuffled his deck. "A caravan coming out of Megaton reported some heavy weapons fire near the old school. Then, as they were headed here. They said they saw a bunch of people in those blue jumpsuits riding in some brotherhood trucks, headed North towards Canterbury Commons."

Butch DeLoria nearly did a double take from where he sat at the bar. He only knew one group of people that wore blue jump suits, and they should still be in the vault safe and sound. He eased around a little to hear better as he continued to nurse his beer

"Did the Brotherhood force them out?" One of the other poker players asked as he took his hand from the dealer and looked it over.

"Nah. I don't think so. From what the caravan guys said, the Lone Wanderer was right there with them. If it was 101 that them people came from, then those are his people." The dealer said as he slid some more poker chips into the pot and lit a cigarette.

"Damn, his people? If they are anything like that crazy bastard then I feel sorry for anyone who gets on their bad side." Another said as he downed a shot of moonshine.

Butch didn't bother with the rest of the conversation. He left a few caps on the table, then headed out of the Muddy Rudder as quickly as he could. If there was any truth to this, then he had some tracking to do.

* * *

Collin sighed as they rumbled along the broken highways and empty expanses of wasteland. The sun was low in the sky, casting its twilight glow across everything. In the distance he could make out the buildings of Old Olney. He nudged Amata, who had fallen asleep at some point next to him. She took a moment to pull herself up into a standing position next to him, then gazed out at the town as they neared it.

"That's Olney, there's quite a few good places to set up residency thankfully." He told her as he rested against the cab of the truck. "For tonight, everyone might have to bunk together. We can figure out proper rooming arrangements tomorrow." He said as the trucks slowed down and turned onto the pavement stretch that led into the town. The Brotherhood members had already built up the walls around the town with what looked like cut up rail cars and semi-trailers. He could see a guard tower above the front gate, and two power armor clad soldiers stood at the open gate.

"Wow, you weren't kidding about making this place an outpost. Were you?" Amata asked him as the trucks rolled to a stop.

"Nope. The Brotherhood works fast when it comes to securing an area like this. It's been on our objective list for quite a while anyways." He said with a small smile. "I didn't think they would work this fast though. I'm glad that they did though. I want you guys to be as safe as possible." He said as the gates opened, allowing the trucks to roll inside.

He could see the heads of the vault dwellers looking around as the trucks rolled into town itself. The gates led them right past the Olney Fire House, which the Brotherhood had set up as their headquarters. They pulled the trucks into the parking lot next to the fire station, and the area went quiet as the engines for each truck were shut off. Some floodlights powered on, illuminating the parking lot and trucks as two Brotherhood scribes opened up one of the garage doors of the station. Inside was a good amount of supplies, including bed rolls and folding cots, all old world military issue. A woman stepped forward, wearing a black long sleeved shirt and tactical vest. The rank on her shoulders showed her to be a paladin, and she certainly carried herself like one as well.

"Knight Sharp. Glad to see that you've made it here. I am Paladin Randall's, Commanding Officer of Outpost Olney." She said as she walked up to him, offering him and the rest of the soldiers a salute. Collin returned it, then jumped over the trucks railing.

"Glad we've finally made it Paladin. I just wish it could've been more peaceful." Collin told her as he looked at the bullet marks riddling the trucks.

"We'd received reports of the trouble. A patrol will be getting dispatched to clean up Bethesda so it will be more peaceful." She said as she first looked to the nervous people in the trucks, then back to the supplies in the station. "Well. I think it's time we start helping these people get set up. At least temporarily. We've started clearing up those two apartments buildings. Making it more spacious and things like that. These bed rolls and cots are for them as well." She told him.

"Okay. I think we can handle getting the people put up for the night. Thank you for the supplies Paladin." Collin said as he saluted her one last time. She returned the salute, then headed back to the fire station. Collin climbed back up into the truck. Amata was waiting for him, along with Dogmeat.

"So. Is everything set up?" She asked hopefully.

"Yeah. Everyone will have to bunk together tonight, but we've provided cots and bed rolls for everyone." He said as he offered to help her out of the truck. "It won't be the most comfortable thing on earth, but we'll be warm and dry."

Amata nodded in understanding as they started getting everyone from the trucks. They all seemed tired, and Collin could see Allen Mack glaring at him from one of the distant trucks. He'd promised to keep them all safe, but so far he'd managed to get them shot at. He climbed into the back of the trucks and whistled to get everyone's attention.

"Okay. Welcome to Outpost Olney. This is where we plan to build a new settlement, and home for everyone." Collin said as he looked around. Many of the people seemed unsure, and he couldn't blame them considering the derelict state of much of the town. These people had been used to living in relative comfort, and now they had to adjust.

"I know it doesn't look like much. But. Well that's why we're here." He said as he looked out over all of them. "Brotherhood, and the other settlers that are coming here are going to help you acclimate, so we can all make a life for ourselves!" He told them. He helped Amata up into the truck with him.

"I know it will be rough on everyone. It was on me too. If we work together though, we can make it." He told them as he pointed to the blue and white apartment behind him. "Tonight, we will have to bunk together in that apartment building over there. In fact, it may be that way for a while because of winter nearing. But it's warm, its dry, and its stable. We can work on giving everyone some privacy later. For tonight, let's just get everyone fed and into a warm bed. The Brotherhood has folding cots and bed rolls with blankets in that garage. Enough for everyone. Please form a single file line and we will provide every man, woman, and child." He said. There were some slight murmurs, but many of them seemed to tired to question him. Amata stepped forward.

"Everyone. I know you are tired and hungry, but we can sleep here as soon as we get to the building. Officer Gomez, help keep everyone organized and make sure they are okay. Get your men to help anyone who needs it." She told him. Gomez nodded as he rallied his men and helped to get everyone moving. Some Brotherhood initiates were already there to help distribute the supplies to everyone.

The apartment itself had rubble all around it. Piles of torn out dry wall and insulation, old furniture, concrete, and various other items had been piled up by the soldiers who had cleaned it out. Collin could see how unsure everyone looked about it, but he forced himself to remain optimistic as he pushed open the two double doors that led inside.

* * *

The lower floor was fairly intact. Two soldiers stood guard in the front lobby, sitting behind what had once been a welcoming desk that was now reinforced with sandbags. One of them looked up to Collin and nodded.

"Knight. We've cleared the upper floors to offer people as much space as possible. They are still sound, or at least sound enough to hold power armored soldiers." He said chuckling. "We have the generator systems and battery banks down here, with enough wiring to light the rest of the building." The man said as he took a bite from an MRE. Collin nodded in thanks as he made his way upwards with the rest in tow.

"Boy, they weren't kidding when they said that they'd cleaned this place out." He heard Officer Gomez say as they made their way to the second floor. All of the nonstructural walls had been torn out, and instead of the old carpet he'd expected to see, the floors were hard concrete or wood in some places.

"No, they weren't, but there are a few nice amenities here." Collin said. "It's lit well. The walls are sound and insulated, and they've made sure the windows have some form of curtain." He said, making note of the tarps that had been hung over most of them. "And look here, two wood heating stoves." He said, pointing it all out.

"Well, the way you're talking about it, seems like we have a nice starting set up here." Gomez said as they let everyone file in. Collin nodded, then watched as Amata and Alphonse made their way to the front of the crowd.

"Okay everyone. Let's go ahead and get things set up. Remember how they showed us to unfold the beds and set them. We can work on making this home later, but for now I think we have all earned a good night's sleep!" She said. Most everyone said something in agreement as they dispersed, families gathering together to set their beds up and be close. Others moving away to get privacy. Collin grabbed his personal bedroll from his pack and unrolled it on the ground. He took his armor off and set it nearby, along with most of his other belongings. Dogmeat was quick to pad over and lay down beside him as Collin stretched out. Before anyone could even notice, he had fallen into a deep sleep.


	11. Chapter 11

Hey everyone. Sorry for disappearing for a bit. I am finally finished with finals and college for the summer at least. So I am gonna try to get more Chapters out. I'm sorry if this chapter is a little slower than normal. I'm trying to find a good balance between action/adventure and the actual survival side of things. So there may be a few chapters that won't be all gun battles and exploring, but will lean a little more towards the actual settling in and learning to survive portions of post apocalyptic life. If these chapters don't go over as well, then please feel free to leave a review or even PM me with advise. I'm always looking to learn more and improve. As Always, I want to thank everyone for taking the time to read my work. I also want to thank you guys for giving me over 11,000 views. A personal record. It means a lot to me. Well enough of me being sappy, I hope you guys enjoy the story!

Fortunate Son, out!

* * *

The smell of cooking fires flooded into his nose as Collin opened his eyes. He took a moment to let them adjust as shafts of light filled the room from the outside. The entire floor was empty of people, and even Dogmeat was gone. He sat up and stretched as he looked around. All of the bedrolls had been organized neatly where the families had slept. Collin slowly stood up, hearing some of his joints pop and crack as he stretched again. Rubbing the sleep from his eyes, he headed downstairs.

The sun was well in the sky by now, and Collin was surprised to see that it was 9:00 AM. He'd slept in, something he hadn't done since his first few days on the surface. He looked around, seeing that everyone was gathered nearby at a small brick building and made his way over. A few of the vault residents nodded to him as he walked up, but most seemed more interested in the smell of fresh meat before them.

Collin made his way around the line towards the fires, where he could see a few of the other settlers who weren't from the vault. They had two large Brahmin roasting over the fire pits, and were making beef stew from the Brotherhoods MRE's to help supplement the lack of vegetables. He noticed Amata and her father speaking with an older man dressed in farmers clothing. Amata noticed and motioned him over.

"Collin! This is Jim Bowen. He's the leader of the settlers who came here before us."

The man turned and offered his hand, "Well. I don't know about leader, but I guess you could say I speak for the bunch of us." He said chuckling. Collin shook his hand and looked around. "I thought that since our two groups are gonna be living together, we would have a little surface welcoming party."

Collin smiled a little, "Thank you. I'm glad that we will have a few experienced people here to help teach everyone. These people are hard workers, but they still need to learn about life on the surface. They've spent their entire life in a vault. I was hoping your people would be able to help."

Jim nodded, "I don't see why not. Although most of what we know is farming and some basic craftsmanship, we do have two or three hunters and scavengers." He told them.

"Any help you can give us is greatly appreciated." Alphonse said as he glanced around. "Although, from the looks of our new… ah 'Home'. I think we may want to put some focus into removing this debris. That's what this book said at the least." He held up a copy of the Wasteland Survival Guide, one of the ones that had been passed around.

"That's right. There is a lot of salvageable material inside our own walls alone. Steel beams, re-bar, concrete, wood. Heck, we can find a lot of that stuff here. Everything we would need to start building up this settlement." The old farmer said as he pointed to the collapsed building nearby. "I'd like to get a work party together today to start salvaging some stuff from that building there. Just the debris outside of it would be enough to get us started." He said as he took a bite from his plate.

Amata nodded, "I'll see if anyone is willing to help. It seems like our people seem to be getting along well enough." She said, noting how both groups were conversing and learning about each other as they ate. Collin smiled a little, excusing himself to grab his own portion of the meal. He ate, watching as the others finished and waited to see what they would be doing today.

Once the others had went to gather around Amata and Alphonse, Collin excused himself and made his way towards the Firehouse that the Brotherhood had claimed for a headquarters building. Two initiates stood guard at the main doors, laser rifles at their sides. Both seemed to be very bored with their post. Not even bothering to straighten up when an officer walked nearby. He could see that their uniforms were dirtier than normal as well, and not as well kept. Another thing he noticed was that they wore scavenged army fatigues under their combat armor.

"Where can I find Paladin Randalls?" He asked one of the two guards.

"She's down the hallway to the left. Door that's still got the lettering on it." One of the initiates told him before pulling out a cigarette and lighting it.

Collin nodded, then headed inside. The firehouse itself had been stripped down to its basics. Off to one side, Collin could see into the garage area, where multiple brotherhood scribes and soldiers worked to maintain their armor and weapons. They were steadily converting it into a full armory and workshop.

Collin made his way down the opposite hallway, where they had set up a barracks for the entire platoon. He could see a few soldiers resting inside, either reading old magazines or sleeping. Two had managed to find a checkers board and pieces, and were playing a game to pass the time. Just like the initiates he had seen outside, these soldiers as well wore mostly older army fatigues or the standard brotherhood fatigues without the tactical vest. The final door he arrived at had the words 'FIRE CHIEF' written on its window in big black letters. Time had faded them, but they were still legible. He knocked, but the door swung open freely.

Paladin Randalls was sitting at her desk with her feet propped up as she read over a combat report. A cigarette hung freely in her mouth as she glanced over it, finally taking notice of Collin, she set the report down and nodded to him.

"Ah, I figured you'd wonder in here at some point. How's everyone settled in?" She asked as she nodded towards a chair for him to sit in.

"They're doing okay. It'll take some time though." He told her. "I've noticed that things here seem pretty lax. Your soldiers aren't exactly like the other brotherhood members I'm used to." He said as he eased back into the seat.

Randall's let out a short laugh at his comment, "Nah, I never was one for all that rank and file orderly stuff. It's only good for showing off to wasters or for teaching new recruits how to follow orders. Doesn't make a damn bit of difference on the battlefield though. So long as they don't break any big rules, I don't care how my guys act or dress in there off time. The only thing that matters to me is that they can keep their shit together in a firefight." She told him as she took another drag of her cigarette. "So, other than complain about my troops. What else did you need?" She asked him with a chuckle.

Collin smirked a little. She was rough around the edges like her troops, but seemed like a solid commander. "Well, I actually just wanted to see what the current strength of your toon was. I also wanted to discuss the current supply setup." He told her. Finishing her cigarette, Randalls dropped it to the floor and used one of her boots to stamp it out.

"Hmm, currently. Dog Platoon is sitting at 40 able bodied men and women fit for combat. We also have the usual contingent of scribes and other non-com's. Medics, repairmen, supply jocks. So, overall, we have 48 people counting myself." She said as she took a swig from a canteen. "Out of the 40 soldiers, I have to keep our base strength at 20. So that leaves me with two squads to deploy for patrols and such. Once we can get some turrets and robots here to help with defense, it'll free up another squad for me to use."

Collin nodded, "Seems like you have a pretty good set up here then." He told her. "I was also wondering about anything the base is short of. I'm planning on making a run up to Canterbury or even Rivet City soon to get the supplies we will need."

She looked thoughtful for a moment, "Well. It's too late to do any gardening, but something a little fresher than these damned MRE's would be nice. See if Rivet City would be willing to trade for some canned vegetables. Tell them I can offer up a few rifles we've brought back from patrols and maybe something you brought from that vault of yours. Also, you might want to see if you can get to GNR and get those winter clothes that they've got." She told him, handing a list of the trade-able weapons she had. Collin nodded, and made a list in his Pipboy of things to do. He stood up and nodded to the Paladin.

"Thanks Paladin. I'll see what I can do." He said as he turned to leave. She stopped him.

"Also, Knight. If you can use a little pull to scrounge us up a few defensive robots. It'd free up my boys and make our jobs a hell of a lot easier when winter hits. We have a Supply Vertibird coming in thirty mikes with a few medical supplies. If you hurry your ass, then they may give you a lift to wherever you need to get." She told him. Collin nodded, then headed back to the others.

Collin could see that things outside had picked up. A group of the vault dwellers and waste-lander's had started separating the ruble that had filled the streets around the collapsed buildings. He could see that they'd specifically pulled some pieces of re-bar and brick sized chunks of concrete out and were focusing on them. He could see Stanley and Andy, Vault 101's Mr. Handy, were helping. Stanley was having Andy use his industrial circular saw blade to cut up the re-bar lengths into two, three, and six foot lengths.

"Well, looks like you guys are settling in nicely!" He said as he shook Stanley's hand.

The older man chuckled, "Well, I'll admit. This isn't exactly like maintaining a Vault. But it's good work. Important work too. Me and a few others can see that already. They've got us improving the fire pits to get things started. That's what the concrete and these smaller bits of re-bar are for. So we can make something called a spit roaster. The longer sections are to make clothes lines apparently. So we can hang our clothes out to dry." Stanley said, with a slight hint of that amazement at the common innovations of the waste-lander. Although, after spending his entire life in the luxury of a vault, Collin couldn't blame him.

"Oh indeed! This work is quite fun. I haven't had this much fun since the last big rad roach attack." Andy said cheerfully as he concentrated the stream of his flamethrower to heat up a section of re-bar so two workers could straighten it out. Collin chuckled a little at the robots interest, then let them to their work as he went in search of Amata.

He passed another group of vault dwellers who were at a makeshift firing range. They were learning to use the larger weapons of the wastes. Including the guns he had given them. One thing that he saw which worried him though, was the sight of Allan Mack with an R-91. He just hoped that the man was done with causing problems.

He finally saw Amata over near the trucks. She was helping a large group unload everything off of the supply trucks that had brought them here. He came up and grabbed one of the larger boxes as she loaded her own arms up. "So, how is everything going?" He asked her.

She smiled a little, "Surprisingly better than expected. I gave everyone a chance to do the job they thought they would be best at. A few are having some trouble adjusting, but its something we've all got to get used to." She said as they headed back towards the apartment complex. "So, where did you disappear to?" She asked curiously.

"Oh, I went to go talk with the base commander about the situation here. Her and her troops are very… interesting. A little more lax than the standard BoS soldiers." He said. He then rubbed the back of his neck, not wanting to tell her this next bit.

"I was also gathering up a list of things we might need for the coming winter. I.. well. I'm gonna head back out soon Amata." He told her as they got inside and set the boxes down. They were full of blankets and pillows.

She turned to him quickly, "W- what. But we just got here. It's only been a few days since we got you back. S- since I got you back." She said, a little hurt in her eyes. Collin sighed, rubbing a hand through his short hair.

"I know Amata, but look. I've got to. It's to get us some more supplies. Things we will need. I won't be gone long. Two or Three days most likely. A week at most." He told her. He didn't exactly know what to say, he wanted to stay, but there was still something between the two of them. She looked thoughtful for a second, then looked up at him.

"Let me come with you."

"Wh-what. No. It's too dangerous. We will be on foot or bike the entire way. What about the people here who need you?" He asked, surprised.

She shook her head. "They will be okay for that time. With Mr. Bowen here to teach them, and my father to act as leader while I am gone. They'll be okay. Besides, the Brotherhood can keep them safe." She said as she looked defiantly at him. "Besides, if you are going to any other settlements, then these are connections that I need to make. I want to be able to deal with these people myself, not through you all the time. Besides, I've already discussed it with my father and he agrees. I need to learn about the ways of the wasteland and its economy." She told him, daring him to argue with her.

Collin sighed, "Amata, it's dangerous out there. The raiders, they aren't even the worst thing out there. On the Brotherhoods threat level, they're kind of low key except for their numbers. And DC itself is crawling with a lot more trouble than any raider. Not even the Brotherhood has been able to completely secure it." He told her, really wishing she would just give up.

"I don't care Collin! Don't you get it. Our entire life is dangerous now! Inside of two days I've had a gun pointed at me, a knife to my throat, and been in two gun fights! I know it's dangerous out there dammit!" She said, glaring at him.

"I can't hide from the danger any more than anyone else can. This is something I have to do either way." She sighed. "So please, let me go with you. I would rather do this with a friend who knows his way around than with the vault guards or some soldiers I don't even know. Please." She asked him.

Collin sighed, but he knew she held some truth. "Okay. You'll do everything I say when we travel?" She quickly nodded. "If we get in a fight. You won't lock up?" Again she nodded. "And. If I tell you to run. No matter what. Even if I am not running. Will you?" He asked, looking her straight in the eyes. She hesitated for a second, looking away.

"I'd rather not think about that. But yes." She said with a sigh.

"Okay. And trust me. I don't either. But I want to keep you safe. 'Mata." He said with a small sigh. He smiled a little to get her mind off of it. "Well, get your stuff. We have a chopper coming here in fifteen minutes that won't be waiting for long. I'd rather not have to walk all the way back to Megaton." He told her with a smile as she hurried off to get her gear. He grinned, turning to see Dogmeat sitting near his own gear. The dog wagged his tail, sensing that they would be leaving soon. Collin patted Dogmeat's head, then went about getting his own kit.

They met back up near the fire station. It was the only place large enough for a Vertibird to land. A few brotherhood members stood outside, keeping people outside of the landing area and getting ready to offload supplies. It wasn't long before they could hear a distant Thumping in the air. The fat, grey shape of the Vertibird slowly grew larger until it finally came to hover over them. Everyone looked on in awe as the craft lowered itself to the ground slowly until they had to turn away from the dust it kicked up.

The Vertibird set itself down and slowly shut down. The back dropped open, allowing the soldiers to start unloading supplies. Collin went up to the pilot and nodded as he climbed out.

"So, think you would be able to give us a lift back to Megaton?" He asked, showing his Holotags. The pilot grinned.

"Sure thing bud. Just hop in back once there's room." The pilot said as he started checking his bird over. Collin nodded, and motioned for Amata finish the goodbyes and hop in back while he grabbed a seat. Dogmeat settled down between his legs, using them for stability. The pilot started spinning the bird back up for takeoff as Amata finished her goodbyes. She hurried on board and sat down next to him. Then, with one last wave, they lifted off. Collin grinned and managed to yell over the noise. "Next stop. Megaton!"

* * *

I just want to give a quick thank you to Guest 101 for catching those mistakes about Collins rank. I had originally meant for him to be a Paladin, but I felt that a Knight was a more fitting rank as time went on.


	12. Chapter 12

The Vertibird hand landed just outside of Megaton, along the remnants of the main road through Springvale. Collin nodded to the pilot, who gave him a thumbs up in return before he throttled the engines up and took back to the skies, headed towards the Citadel. Amata looked over to him, and then back to the disappearing Vertibird.

"Wow. I didn't really think you guys would have anything that… modern, here on the surface. I could maybe see getting lucky with the trucks. But those look pretty advanced, how did the brotherhood keep them in such good condition since the bomb's fell?" She asked as they started heading in the direction of Megaton. Collin scratched the back of his head and sighed a little.

"Well, they didn't. You see. Not long after I came to the surface, another group appeared into the Capitol Wasteland. They… well. They did some pretty terrible things Amata. They had a lot of technology that not even the Brotherhood did. It cost us a lot, but eventually we gained the upper hand against them. The Vertibird's, among other things, were our spoils." He said as they started up the hill towards Megaton.

Amata nodded, "You were a part of it. Weren't you. Because of your dad. They were the ones you were talking about, weren't they?" She said, looking over to him. Collin sighed, then clenched his fist a little as the memories came back. He nodded.

"Yeah. I was. The Enclave, well…. They hurt a lot of people out here." He said as he waited for Megaton's gates to open. "But we beat them. That's all that matters I guess." He said.

Amata seemed to sense that he didn't want to talk about the war anymore and dropped it. "So. What is it that we are back in Megaton for anyways?" She asked, looking at the bustling town market below them.

Collin smiled a little, "We need a way to quickly travel around. Especially if we want to get back to Olney soon. So, were going to grab my bike. I took some time and got an old motorcycle and sidecar restored into halfway decent shape." He said smiling. The bike had taken a lot of time to find the parts for, but it had been worth it. They crossed over the water pipe for the town, then headed back up the steps towards his house.

"Let me just grab my key's, you can set your stuff in… my…" He stopped himself as he came around the corner. The next thing that left his mouth was so loud that even the people down in Megaton's crater could hear it.

"WHERE THE HELL IS MY BIKE!" Collin looked on, eyes wide as he looked at the empty shed where his bike normally sat. His mouth was slightly agape as he glanced around for any clues.

"What happened to it!? Do you think it was stolen? Maybe that woman from the supply store has it?" She offered as a suggestion. Collin shook his head.

"No. I know Moira wouldn't have it. She helped me service it less than a month ago so there was no reason for her to take it. Damnit. Let's go find Jericho. He normally keeps an eye on my place since his is next door." Collin said, pissed at the thought that someone had stolen his bike.

He didn't have to look far, as Jericho himself was already making his way up the path towards them from the Brass Lantern. He smirked a little at the look on the Wanderer's face as he stopped and waited.

"Well Two Shoes, you damn sure know how to let everyone know your back. You even got that nut Cromwell to shut up for once." He said chuckling at the predicament.

"Yeah yeah. Do you know where my damn bike is Jericho, or any idea as to who might've been stupid enough to take it?" He asked, pinching the bridge of his nose.

"Well kid, as for where it is I ain't gotta clue. But there's only one person in Megaton who thinks he's got the power and the balls to fuck with ya. And you know who that is. I scared off some of his boys the morning you left, but I couldn't watch it constantly." Jericho said. Collin nodded, not even having to think twice as he stormed off, not waiting for the other two.

"What did you mean by that?" Amata asked him as she watched Collin head off towards town.

Jericho laughed a little, "Girly. I may call that kid a Goody Two Shoe's. But, I would not get on his bad side. You couldn't pay me enough caps. He may not be the strongest son of a bitch in the wastes, or the meanest. But there's something about him that's allowed him to survive a lot more than anyone should, and once you get on his shit list, he doesn't give up. If any of those Enclave fuckers survived, then they'll be fearing his name for as long as they breathe." He said as he headed off in the same direction. "Come on. We better go make sure he doesn't get himself in too much trouble.

* * *

Collin threw the door open with enough force that it dented the wall and broke whatever they'd been using as a door stop.

"Moriarty! Get down here and tell me where my bike is right now you thieving bastard!" Collin shouted as he stood in the entrance of the saloon. Every head in the room was focused on him. Gob was hidden down behind the bar, only his eyes peeking over at what was going on, and Nova had even stopped with her 'client' long enough to see what was going on.

Moriarty himself was leaning on the second story balcony of his saloon, looking down at Collin, a cigarette and shot of whisky in his hands. Collin could see the smug look on the older man's face as he started.

"Ah. If it isn't the big savior of the wasteland himself. Gracing my humble little bar with his all mighty presence." He said as he moved behind his bar. He saw Gob still hiding, "Get the hell up Gob. Go out back and clean up the outhouses" He pushed the ghoul towards the door with his boot.

Collin growled a little, and could feel the hairs standing up on the back of his neck. He couldn't stand the thought of slavery.

"Now, what was that you said? Accusing little ole me of stealing from _you_? Errand boy of the _honorable _and oh so _noble _Brotherhood a' Steel. Such harsh words. Gets me right here in me poor ole heart." Moriarty was dripping with sarcasm as he blew some cigarette smoke into Collin's face.

Collin tightened his fists, "Moriarty, I really don't need this right now. Just tell me where my bike is and I won't get Simm's involved." He said. He heard boot's behind him, and could see Jericho and Amata standing there, watching.

"Ha! What's there to be afraid of about old Simm's. I know how to handle him well enough. You forget that I own this town lad. Simm's can't touch me." He laughed a little. "Now listen here lad, I was kind enough to put your bike under my protection while you were gone. Saw a few unsavory type's eyeballing it yesterday."

"That's a load of bullshit Moriarty." Jericho butted in. "Everyone else in this town knows well enough to not screw with anything that belongs to him." He said.

Moriarty ignored the old raider and grinned, "Now, I would be glad to give you that bike back. But there is the matter of services due for protecting it for a day. Not to mention you owe me for that information on my terminal. And for shooting up my bar." He said, pointing to the wall near the table where Collin had his brief meeting with one Mr. Burke. The wall had a handful of 10 mm holes still in it, along with a few more from Simm's rifle.

Collin looked to the man in front of him. "Okay Moriarty. Name you damned price. I don't have the time to argue. How many caps do you want?" He asked, reaching into his pack.

Moriarty shook his head, "It's not your cap's that I want lad. It's your services. You see, I'm havin' another poker game tonight. Bigger than the last one. Now my boys could barely handle that one. So, I thought, who better than the Lone Wanderer himself to act as security." Moriarty said as he crossed his arms and smirked. "All you gotta do is stand around for the night and look tough."

Collin sighed, Moriarty had him in a corner. He didn't have the time to challenge the man. "What time do I have to be here?" He asked.

Moriarty had the biggest shit eating grin that Collin had ever seen, "Get here by seven. Oh, by the way. Please try to do a better job of protecting my bar than you did your daddy." Collin stopped and suddenly went stiff. He turned back to face the man, his hand resting on the 10 mm pistol in its holster.

"Moriarty, the next time I ever hear you speak about him again. I'll kill you and burn this piece of shit bar to the ground." He didn't wait for a response, and made his way outside.

* * *

Collin was gripping the railing outside so tightly that his knuckles were white. He felt Amata's hand come rest on his shoulder as she stood beside him. "Are you going to be okay?" She asked softly. She'd never seen him this angry before, and she'd be lying if she tried to deny she was afraid of her own friend.

'_But is he your friend? Is this still the same boy you knew in the Vault?'_ She could feel a small part of her mind ask that question. She quickly shook the thought from her head and tried to focus on him.

He breathed slowly in and out, taking a second to compose himself. He'd nearly shot Moriarty right there and then, and it had taken every ounce of strength he had to not do it. "You know. I've encountered plenty of scum bags in my travels." He said, relaxing his grip on the rails. "Slavers, chem pushers, raiders, and plenty of others. But Moriarty, he's up there. Not quite at the top. But it wouldn't take much."

"Why is he able to get away with that? Can't you get the Brotherhood or the town sheriff to do something about him?" She asked, a little glad that he was at least calming down.

"Oh, I wish I could. But Moriarty is too small for the Brotherhood to be bothered with him. Besides, it's one of the rules. Unless they use it as a base. Like Olney. The Brotherhood doesn't interfere much with the towns or their respective governments. As for Sheriff Simm's. He'd love to get a leash on Moriarty. Or flat out kick his sorry ass outta town. But for all his faults. Moriarty has pull here in Megaton." Collin said sighing.

"Yeah, the rat bastard inherited his old man's money and the bar when he was killed by some raiders. First thing Moriarty does to get himself some power is pay out of his own pocket to build this wall you see around the town. Moriarty's caps are what helped keep Megaton's economy going, so until now Simm's has had to look the other way when it comes to him." Jericho added as he pulled a cigarette out and began to smoke.

"But ever since I saved up enough caps to help the Canterbury Common's Caravan's out, and then Uncle Roe agreed to set up these trade stands here in Megaton. Moriarty has lost some power. The roads are safer, so more people can come to Megaton and spend their caps on supplies. It isn't just Moriarty now that keep's the caravans coming here." Collin said as he looked out over Megaton. "So, he's doing this to try and show that he has some power left."

Collin suddenly grinned, "Hey Jericho, think you'd be up for starting a bar fight?" he turned to the grizzled old raider.

"Heh, kid. That's about like asking if a deathclaw likes meat. It's a pointless question." He said grinning.

Collin pulled out a stack of caps and handed them to the raider. He then turned to Amata. "Up for causing a little trouble?" He asked. She smiled.

"I thought you'd never ask."

* * *

Moriarty wasn't lying when he said the bar would be packed. He'd dragged out two large tables. One for poker, and another for blackjack. Both were filled up, with seven guys at each one. He didn't know any of them, but they were all dressed well enough, definitely at least a few were professional gamblers. The rest of the bar had people scattered all around it. Mostly out of towners. Traders from the smaller towns or caravan guards, and a few drifters or people who'd come for the gambling. He even saw a few groups of merc's

Collin had placed himself near the blackjack table, and he'd already been here for an hour. He'd forgone his normal combat armor and military gear for a pair of jeans, a white shirt, and the armored Tunnel Snakes jacket that Butch had given him. To complete the look of a bouncer or greaser he had a pair of aviators on. Finally, he had a Yellow rag wrapped around his right arm. Moriarty's way of distinguishing who the guards were.

The place smelled terrible, a mix of odor, alcohol, and tobacco smoke. Gob and Moriarty were both behind the bar, pouring drinks as fast as they were ordered. Two other guards stood around the bar. One watching the poker table, and the other watching the back room. Nova was the one serving drinks and they'd already had to throw one guy out for getting a little too touchy with her. The people here were already drunk, and that's exactly what Collin wanted.

He just barely smirked when Jericho came in holding the bag of caps. He headed straight up to the bar, and without a thought, plopped the caps down. Moriarty instantly locked eyes on the bag. Collin thought that the old bastard might cry at what Jericho said next.

"Hah, just got a nice pay day out scaving! Listen up you sorry sons a bitches. Next rounds on me!" He called out. The cheer's that went up around the bar were instantaneous, and temporarily drowned out the music from the nearby jukebox.

The liquor was quick to flow, and within thirty minutes, Jericho had bought everyone a second round of drinks. Needless to say, not a single patron was sober. Collin smirked a little when he saw Amata come in. She'd let her hair down from its normal bun, and needless to say that the simple fact of the vault suit being form fitting managed to draw plenty of eyes, even his own. He knew she couldn't stand it though. People looking at her for just her body. '_If anyone tries what Butch did the day of the GOAT, then they'll wind up with a broken nose or worse' _He thought, remembering the day where Butch had tried to flirt with her and then got a little too close for comfort. He wound up taking the GOAT with two pieces of toilet paper shoved up his nose to stop the blood. He'd turned the corner just in time to see her deck DeLoria. Once he stepped in with a simple threat to get vault security down here, they'd backed off.

Amata eased her way up to the bar, and it didn't take long before she saw a mercenary who'd gotten enough courage from his buddies and the liquor to go up to her.

"Well hello, what's a pretty girl like you doing here? Think I could buy you a drink" He managed to ask. He slurred most of his words, and his breath smelled of rotgut, Amata was slightly amazed that he'd even managed to make it over to her from his table.

"No thanks. I'm only hear to meet up with a friend so he can show me around Megaton" She said, not acting interested in the slightest. She wanted this creep gone. She'd agreed to help Collin out, not that he'd asked her to do anything like this. She'd cooked up this little part on her own.

"Aww come on, don't be like that. How about you just dis that friend of yours and come with me. I'll show you all the fun that there is to really do in Megaton. Who knows, maybe we could even have a little fun. I could make it worth your while" He said with a slur and a drunken smirk on his face. Suddenly Amata felt his hand on her side, moving down her back, and decided that enough was enough.

Before he could say anything else, she turned a little and brought her knee right up into his crotch before pushing him down into the floor. She'd originally planned for Collins friend Jericho to step in and start the fight, but this guy hadn't even given him a chance. She was never big on violence herself, but she'd learned enough to get a creep like that away from her.

Quite a few people went quiet as the drunk lay on the floor writhing in pain. He let out a growl as his four buddies came over behind him. "Why you little bitch" He groaned and pushed himself back up then started towards Amata. Jericho was fast to step in.

"Buddy, I think she said she wasn't interested." The raider stood up to his full height, which was nearly a half head taller than Collin.

"The fuck's it matter to you. Get the hell outta my way." The merc slurred as he tried to push past Jericho. Jericho didn't move, and all he needed was for the guy to rare back his fist for a haymaker. Jericho side stepped him, and the guy's fist collided with the back of another patrons head.

Collin grinned as he watched Jericho take on the others while the first drunk was busy being pummeled by the man he'd punched. A crowd was quickly forming around the fighters, the poker games forgotten by now. He heard someone turn the jukebox up a little more, Butcher Pete blaring out of it as he forced his way through the crowd into the middle.

He pulled one of the mercs away from Jericho and threw him down to the floor, then turned as another one decided to focus on him. The man threw a quick, yet drunken punch that Collin blocked and responded to with a quick punch to the gut of his own. He caught a glimpse of Moriarty and the two guards trying to push their way through the crowds behind him.

He turned around just as the other merc ran into him, tackling him into and breaking the small table he'd landed on. He grunted as the merc slugged him in the mouth, then kneed him in the gut. He grunted from the pain, then brought his knee up into the man's crotch. He then brought his feet up and planted them on the man's chest, kicking the drunken merc away from him. He looked up to see Moriarty cursing at the top of his lungs while the two guards were busy each trying to restrain a merc.

Just as he was about to head up and help Jericho, the front door to the saloon burst open. Simm's ran inside with Billy Creel and the Stahl brothers behind him. A single burst from his Type 93 assault rifle into the ceiling was enough to make everyone go silent. Collin rolled over and slowly pushed himself up.

"Now what in the hell is going on here!" Simms shouted. "I want everyone out of this damned bar right now." He growled out, then made way for most of the customers to leave. The only ones left were anyone who worked for Moriarty, Jericho, and the Merc's who were all in some varying degree of consciousness.

Moriarty was red with fury, his bar was trashed from the fight. Smashed alcohol bottles lay everywhere. There were a few pieces of smashed furniture lying about, and the rest of the evenings profit had just walked out the door.

"Now you just wait one damned second Simms. You got no right to be running people outta my bar. Who the hell's gonna pay me for all this mess?" He demanded. Simms shrugged, not really caring.

"It's not really my damned problem Moriarty. You knew the risks of having a poker night as big as this one. If you want someone to pay, I say take it up with the idiots who started it. Speaking of which, who the hell did start it?"

Moriarty turned to look at the mercs, then glared to Jericho who had a shit eating grin on his face. Finally, he turned to Collin. "Boy, where the hell is that girl that you got with ya. She's the one who started this, hell, I bet you put it up to her didn't you you little bastard." Moriarty growled. Collin shrugged, putting on his best innocent face.

"I don't have a clue what you're talking about Moriarty. After all, I was just standing here doing my job like you'd asked. She did say she planned to stop by, but maybe if that guy hadn't pissed her off trying to flirt she wouldn't have kicked him in the nuts. The Jericho here wouldn't have gotten involved when they tried to attack her." Collin said, a small smirk appearing on his face. He wanted to send a little message to Moriarty while also getting his bike back. One that let Moriarty know that messing with the Lone Wanderer was liable to be more trouble than what it was worth.

Simms sighed, "Well, there's your answer Moriarty. Take it up with these idiots once the sober up or wake up tomorrow. Looks like they got the caps in those pouches of theirs. They'll be up in the jail house if you want to collect." He said as he got the ones that were able to walk and put them in front of him. Billy helped him escort them out while the Stahl brothers dragged the two unconscious ones. Simm's nodded to Collin as he left, then closed the door behind them.

Collin stretched a little, working his jaw to get the soreness out. He turned to Moriarty with a grin. "Well Moriarty. I held up my end of the bargain and more. You said all I'd have to do was stand around and act tough, not get caught up in some bar fight." He said. Jericho came over next to him and leaned up against the wall nearby.

Moriarty turned to him with a look that could kill, "Yeah, and what of it you little piss ant? This is all your fault anyways thanks to that girl of yours." He said, still red with anger. Collin grinned and shrugged.

"Well, you did say that I would get my bike back so long as I worked till the bar closed." He said and then looked around. "As far as I'm concerned. This bar is closed for the night, and probably for the next day as well."

Moriarty sneered, "You aren't getting shit back you little prick. Not till I get my money back to repair this place. You started this, and I might consider giving it back to you tomorrow after I collect my money from those drunk fools Simms has. Depends on if I think it's enough or if you owe me more." He said, still thinking he had complete control of the situation.

Collin sighed and shrugged, "Okay Moriarty. If you say so. I'm sure it'll turn up and all work out anyways. You have a good evening. Oh, and I'm so _sorry_ about the damages to your business this evening. I'm sure you'll find a way to get it repaired." Collin said as he headed out the door.

* * *

He grinned when he saw Amata standing by his house. "So, I take it you guys found it?" He asked. Amata grinned, "Yep. It was as easy as you said the first time was. Just plug in you pip boy to his computer and run the basic decryption code. His password wasn't even changed, it was caps" She told him.

Collin chuckled a little, although it hurt to do so. "Oh, I'm gonna be sore in the morning. But it will be worth it to see the look on Moriarty's face tomorrow when he realizes that not only is his place trashed, but he doesn't have a bargaining chip against me." He said as he looked into the shed. Sure enough, his bike was there, although this time it had a chain and lock around the front struts, latching it securely to the side of the hut. "Where'd he hid it at?" He asked.

"It was in an old warehouse on the far side of the crater. Not too far from Moira's actually. I was able to get her and her guard to help me push it back once I'd explained the situation." She told him.

Collin smirked, "Good. Maybe it'll teach him a lesson that it just isn't worth it to piss some people off." He made sure the chain was secure and then let out a yawn.

Amata smiled, "Let's go get some sleep. We can worry about tomorrow when it comes. Besides, I don't think I could stand to see that stupid outfit on you much longer. You look like you belong in Butches gang."

He laughed a little, then did his best impersonation of Butch. "Aye, Tunnel Snakes rule babe. And don't you forget it." She couldn't help but laugh, the punched him lightly in the arm before they both headed inside.

* * *

Hey everyone, Fortunate Son here. Sorry about the delay on this chapter. I've been having a lot of issues with my computer crashing on me as of late. Kept on deleting my work any time I made some progress with this chapter. Add that on to some family issues and it's been a bit busy lately. But I will keep this train a rolling.

I know that this isn't the normal type of chapter that I update. It's a tiny bit of filler and just trying to add a little more flesh to the characters. Plus the fact that I just flat out hated Moriarty in the game. Sorry if this isn't my best chapter. All in all, it was a little frustrating with the issues involved in it. But I do promise that the next one will see our pair back on the road. I hope you enjoyed it, and as always, please feel free to leave any feedback that will help me improve. It's greatly appreciated and it shows me what I can improve upon to bring a more enjoyable story to you guys.

Finally, I just wanna give a quick shout out to Guest, Guest101, and Fallout2281 for catching a few mistakes I've now gone back and fixed in previous chapters. I also want to give thanks to Mandalore the Freedom for the feedback and ideas.

Well, I'll catch you guys later. Until next time. FS OUT!


	13. Chapter 13

Collin yawned as he looked himself over in the mirror. Dark green eyes stared back at him, although one had a nice ring of black around it. Apparently during the fight last night, one of the mercs had indeed gotten lucky and elbowed him in the eye. He inspected the bruised area a little, finding it to be tender but not painful. He pulled off his night shirt, seeing a few bruises along his stomach and ribcage where he'd been kneed.

'_Well, I'm gonna be feeling those for a few days.'_ Collin thought to himself as he tried to stretch and get rid of some of the soreness in his sides. He grinned a little at the thought of Moriarty's place and how they'd left it last night. That, and the look that would be on the man's face today when he saw that the bike was back in his possession, would be well worth some soreness.

He dipped his hands into the basin of water he kept in the sink and splashed some onto his face, letting the cold water shock his system. He ran a hand through his copper colored hair in an effort to straighten it some. He had a comb, but it was missing more teeth than a raider addicted to Jet. Finally, he grabbed the tall bottle of vodka from the sink and took a swig of it and began to swish it around in his mouth. It wasn't the same as proper toothpaste or mouthwash, but judging by the burn in his mouth it did well enough killing the germs.

He could hear the radio on downstairs, Three Dog spreading the word as he did every day. He put on his new change of clothes for the day. A second set of military fatigues that were still in pretty good shape for being stuffed in a locker for 200 years.

Amata was already waiting for him in the living room while Dogmeat happily chewed on a bone. "Well, I'm glad to see that the Lone Wanderer still takes time to try and clean himself up." She said chuckling. Collin rolled his eyes and sat down beside her.

"Oh haha. Someone thinks they're funny." He said as he lightly elbowed her in the side.

"Oh I'm not just funny. I'm hilarious." She smirked and glanced down at her pip-boy. "So, what's on the to do list for today?"

"Well, now that we have my bike back. I figured we could head out once the sun is up a little more. Rivet City would be our first stop, that way you and I could negotiate with the traders and scientists there for food, ammo, and other supplies. After that, I want to try to get into contact with Three Dog at GNR, see if we can get some of those winter clothes the BOS has."

"Sounds like a plan. Do you think you could point out those locations on the map? Also, what is Rivet City? I know that GNR is the radio station and Three Dog is its announcer. But you haven't really talked about this Rivet City." She said as she pulled up her map.

"Here, let me see your pip-boy. I'll upload my map to yours." He unplugged the adaptor cord from his pip-boy and linked it into hers, allowing it to quickly transfer the information to her. "And Rivet City is probably the largest settlement currently out in the Capitol Wasteland. It's an old beached aircraft carrier from before the great war. So it's also one of the most secure settlements." He told her.

"Well that's definitely interesting. So it's a big ship then?" She vaguely remembered hearing about aircraft carriers in one of their history classes. Something about an old battle named Midpoint or Midway or something like that. Collin nodded.

"Yeah, and now it's a city" He said chuckling.

Amata's eyes widened a little as she glanced at her newly updated map. "Wow, you've certainly done some traveling up here haven't you?" She glanced at him.

He shrugged a little, "What can I say? I'm the Wanderer." He grinned and picked up his pack. "Well if you're ready, wanna hit the road? We can eat while we travel." He held up a packet of Radstag Jerky. She grabbed her own pack and smiled.

"As ready as I'll ever be."

* * *

Collin relaxed as they passed the Super Duper Mart and crossed over the Potomac. He was a little upset that he didn't get to see Moriarty's reaction to the fact that he'd stolen his bike back. But not enough to dampen his mood at actually being able to ride again. He did force himself to keep an eye out though.

"Amata! Help me keep an eye out. The Brotherhood may patrol the edge of the city here, but it still isn't perfectly safe." He gunned the engine, going as fast as was safe on the rough and broken asphalt. He felt one of Amata's arms unwrap from around his waist as she grabbed her sub machinegun and began to rest it on her leg.

Collin wished he could keep a weapon at the ready, but it took both hands to properly control the bike over some of the rough terrain, never mind the fact that his rifle was too long and heavy to hold and aim one handed. The buildings around them started to grow higher as they entered the D.C. Ruins proper.

'_I'd rather stick to the coast outright, but the Brotherhood is trying to clean up that old super mutant fort. They've closed the road there due to booby traps.'_ He considered as they were forced to go deeper into the city, it wasn't a pleasant thought, but neither was driving over a land mine. Besides, he'd traversed this path not even a week before, so it should be safe.

They rounded a corner and came onto a street that would link back up with the coast road, a partly collapsed building had narrowed down the road, forcing him to go slow as they moved through the rubble.

The only warning he had was Dogmeat's growl before a rifle round cracked past his head. He rolled off the bike, pulling Amata with him to the ground while Dogmeat jumped out of the sidecar and the bike rolled into a car wreck nearby. They scrambled and kicked themselves into cover behind a large chunk of rubble. A few more rifle rounds fired into the air, clearly from automatic weapons this time. Then everything went silent.

"Alright trader. You're out numbered! Surrender and turn everything over to Talon Company!"

Collin looked around, "Shit, these guys." He said as he drew his 10 mm pistol. His Garand was still in its scabbard on the side of the bike, well out of reach. Dogmeat was behind the car the bike had crashed into. His teeth were bared, and Collin could hear the growls escaping the dogs throat.

"Dogmeat. Nein! Bleibsitzen!" He told the dog, forcing him to stay behind the car.

"Collin, what do we do?" Amata was glancing around wildly, watching out for any of them.

Another burst of fire ripped away at the top of the concrete slab they'd hid behind. The man called out again.

"Come on now damnit! You're trying my patience. Don't make this any worse on yourselves!" They could hear the crunching of gravel and ruble under boot as the men moved closer to them.

"Amata, we're gonna have to fight. They'll kill us both if we don't" He pulled back the slide on his pistol and eased up into a crouch. "When I say so. I want you to spray'em with that SMG. Just get their heads down." He told her as he pulled out one of his few hand grenades and got it ready. Collin pulled the pin from the grenade and released the spoon, letting it fall to the ground as the grenades fuse cooked. "Now!" He shouted to her.

The short barks of SMG fire filled the air as Amata peeked over the wall and let loose a wild spray of fire. The black clad figures dashed out of the road at the sudden fire. Collin lobbed the grenade in the direction a few had gone. He pushed himself up and ran, firing blindly at the mercenaries. He dove behind his bike and flattened up against it and the car as he fought to free his rifle. He heard the whump of the grenade going off, followed by shouts.

It didn't last long though. Bullets began to ping off of the bike and car as Collin freed his rifle from the scabbard. He ducked down and crawled behind the car where Dogmeat was still. He turned back to look at where Amata was. She was reloading her MP9. Collin could see one of the Talon company grunts rushing down the sloped rubble towards them. He brought the rifle to bear and fired off two rounds. They slammed into the side of the man, putting him down mid-stride.

Amata was looking from the body to him, wide eyed. He nodded, then pointed his hand in the direction of the few that remained. He could hear around three rifles left, and flipped on the VATS system in his helmet. He started to scan for enemies, and just barely caught sight of one hidden behind the remnants of an old dresser. He was taking pot shots at Amata, using a Chinese AK to chip away at her cover.

He gained Dogmeat's attention and pointed the man out. "Dogmeat. Fass!" He ordered as he started firing at the position of the other two. The dog took off at a sprint, bounding along while his master covered him. Collin watched out of the corner of his eye as Dogmeat jumped over the dresser. The man's scream was cut short as powerful jaws clamped down on his throat.

One of the mercenaries left cover, intent on shooting the dog off the other. Collin quickly fired his last three rounds at the man. One ripped into his arm as the other tore clean through his throat. His rifle pinged, announcing to the world that he had to reload. He started to pull a fresh clip from his bandoleer when he heard noise behind him. The last Talon Company Merc was above him on the roof of the car, R-91 Rifle leveled at him.

Collin had just made a move for his pistol when a burst of fire tore through the air. He watched as the man jerked back. Holes appearing in his stomach and chest. The man tried to cough or make some noise, but it was cut off as he coughed and blood flowed from his mouth. Another burst of fire ripped into the man, and he fell back, sliding down the hood of the car.

He turned around to see Amata, her gun resting against the concrete. She blinked a few times and stood up slowly, as though the realization just hit her.

"I- I just killed him."

Collin sighed as he walked down to her, "Yeah. You did. But you had to do it." He said as he walked over to her.

She sighed and looked down at the gun, "Y-yeah. I know. It's just that, well, I. I never thought I would have to do that." She said, looking up to him.

"I know, but it's part of life now." He said as he finished reloading. "It's something you have to accept and get used to Amata."

"Are you okay?"

The question had caught him off guard, it wasn't something he was asked often.

"Y-yeah. I'm okay. Are you?" He kept scanning the area.

"I think so. Who were these guys?" She walked over to where one of the Talon Company men had fallen.

"Mercenaries. They call themselves Talon Company. In reality they aren't any better than raiders. They only work to cause trouble and mayhem." He said as he walked over to the bike and pulled out a roll of duct tape.

"Think you can help me gather up their weapons and ammo?" He asked as he picked up one of the assault rifles and inspected it. "These weapons all look in halfway decent condition. They'll fetch a nice price in Rivet City."

She nodded, and went about helping him to gather them all. Collin made it over to the man that Dogmeat had gotten a hold of, the dog was still sitting there, scenting the air for any danger. Collin smiled and patted him on the side.

"Good boy Dogmeat. Good boy." The dog seemed to snap out of fighting mode and started to wag his tail, happy to receive praise from his master. He motioned for the dog to follow him as he headed over to where the grenade had gone off.

There was one body there, peppered with shrapnel and a badly mangled stump of a leg. Something else drew his attention though, a blood trail. He followed it with his eyes, and it looked like someone had dragged something into a half collapsed part of the building.

The blood trail didn't lead them very far. In the back bedroom of what had once been an apartment lay a member of Talon Company. He'd dragged himself here despite having one leg blown off. He was propped up against the wall, rifle laying lazily in his lap as he took shallow breaths. The man eyed them as they came in, his expression was largely unreadable except for the anger and partial acceptance of what was coming. He was bald headed and older than Collin, A tattoo covered one side of his face.

"The fuck do you want? Come here to finish the job?" the man spat as Collin knelt down near him. The man looked him over and laughed bitterly. "Should've known. No trader has a ride like that."

"What were you doing here? Why was a Talon Company squad operating inside Brotherhood territory?" Collin asked as he looked at the man's leg. There was no saving him. He'd lost too much blood.

"Heh. Wouldn't you like to know you little shit? We came expecting easy picking and instead we get the mother fucking Lone Wanderer himself." The man said tiredly, then let out a moan of pain. The adrenaline was wearing off, and he could now feel all the pain in his leg.

Collin dug into his pack until he found his medical supplies. He held up a syringe of Med-X and showed it to the man. "Answer my questions and I'll ease the pain." He dangled the syringe just out of reach. "Besides, it isn't like Talon Company is going to be able to exact revenge on you." He added.

The old merc sighed and nodded, "Alright kid, but you drive a hard bargain. Specially with a dying man." He said as he took the syringe and injected it into his leg. "If you must know. We was here under Jabsco's orders. We got a contract recently to start hitting caravans. Didn't matter what kind. Water, food, Chems, guns. The client didn't care. The incentive was that we got to keep everything we took from the caravans."

Collin nodded and stood up, "Who took out the contract?"

The merc shrugged, "Hell if I know. Jabsco was the one who gave us our orders. So long as they come from him. Then who gives a shit?" He said with a laugh.

"Where is Jabsco hiding? Where is the headquarters of Talon Company located?" Collin demanded.

The man laughed, "Hah, oh that's a good one. Sorry kid. But my good will is all dried up like the rest of me. All I can say to that is that you can go fuck yourself you little prick." He grinned. Collin sighed, he didn't have time to interrogate a dying man. He grabbed the man's rifle away from him, and cut his ammo bandoleer away as the man glared at him with a smirk. Just as he was about to leave, the man spoke up again.

"Oh, by the way. Jabsco is getting fed up with your shit kid. He's lost too many men to you, not counting this squad. You better watch your back, cause Talon Company always gets its payback." The man sneered. Collin just ignored him, leaving the man to die.

Amata was waiting outside for him and Dogmeat. He headed over to where she was leaning against the bike and started to bundle all the weapons together, using the duct tape to hold them. He then placed all the ammo they'd collected into a bag and set both inside the side car.

"What did you find?" He heard Amata behind him.

"Nothing really, just a little info and the usual death threats." He said as he helped Dogmeat up into the cart.

"You say that like its normal." She told him as they pushed the bike back onto the road and through the rubble. Collin just shrugged as he climbed on and restarted it. He patted the seat behind him, scooting forward so she could climb on.

"That's because it is. Especially with Talon Company." He smiled for a moment, trying to get her to not worry. He offered her a hand to help her climb on. "Now come on. Rivet City awaits."

* * *

Hey everyone. Sorry about my disappearing act again. My Computer finally gave up on me and crashed. BSOD. I had to send it off for repairs and lost everything. I'm back now though, and hopefully I can keep bringing you guys chapters that you enjoy.

As always, I want to thank everyone for taking the time to read, like, and review. It's amazing to see how many people are enjoying this story. And remember, if you encounter any mistakes or typos

Just a few things. Nein is German for no. Bleibsitzen means to Sit and Stay. Fass means to Attack.


	14. Chapter 14

Hey all, sorry for the late update. I've had some things going on lately with life that had to take first priority. I hope you guys enjoy this chapter, and I want to say thanks to everyone who's remained loyal to this story. I won't give up on it. As always, I ask that if you enjoyed the story. Feel free to drop a like/fav or even leave a review. I am also open to all forms of criticism. Thank you guys again.

F.S. Out.

* * *

Daniel Littlehorn sighed as he took a moment to look around the office of Littlehorn &amp; Associates. His secretaries worked nonstop, helping keep his creation running smoothly. They constantly ran calculations on every resource under the command of Littlehorn and his partners. Manpower, armaments, supplies, and capitol. All the things that mattered to him, yet that he could not be bothered with directly. He poured himself a glass of Scotch, intent on sitting back and enjoying himself as his company worked.

Of course, few people actually knew of Littlehorn and Associates itself. Oh, they may have heard of the people involved, but the company was secret. To a degree. Jabsco and his group were the most known. They were the biggest front, always out and about playing soldier and assassin. Jabsco was nothing more than a drunk who thought of raw strength as being the only form of power. His men nothing more than better equipped raiders.

Talon Company had been built by him. Without Littlehorn they never would've grown beyond the petty group of raiders that they'd started out as. He'd paid to equip them, to build them up and make them able to do the work he needed. Under Littlehorn's orders they'd grown into one of the most powerful forces in the wastelands.

That had only changed in recent months. That damned Lone Wanderer had made himself known. He'd taken down some of the squads Jabsco had assigned to raid settlements and to attack the caravans, and even eliminated two of their best squads of assassins. The man had quickly become a thorn in Littlehorns side, encouraging others to fight back against Talon Company and undo the chaos he'd sown.

That one man had done enough damage to leave them unprepared for the Enclave assault, and then he'd allied himself with the Brotherhood of Steel and helped them take control of many Talon Company strongholds.

The war had eventually been what allowed Littlehorn some breathing room. He'd forced Jabsco to call his men in, letting the Brotherhood and the Enclave cause enough mayhem while he sat back and watched. Now he'd let them loose again recently, the Brotherhood was still licking its wounds from the war, rebuilding its ranks. They'd began to patrol the trade routes, but they couldn't keep every caravan safe.

The Brotherhood and that Lone Wanderer character were both too busy, re-establishing and securing what they'd lost during the war, setting up new settlements. They only had enough men to patrol and try to keep the roads safe, but they couldn't go on the offensive against Jabsco like they had in the past.

He was interrupted from the moment when his personal phone rang, it was connected to the radio operators in the far room, allowing them to patch him in to whoever they were communicating with. He sighed as he picked it up. "Yes, what is it?" He let his irritation be known.

"Sir, Commander Jabsco on the line. He says its urgent." The operator, a young woman, nervously informed him.

"Okay, put him on the line." Littlehorn pinched the bridge of his nose and took a calming breath, forcing himself to keep a level tone. The line clicked as the call was transferred. "Well Jabsco, get on with it."

"There's been an issue Littlehorn. One of our squads didn't check in on schedule. I sent another over to them to check them out." The man reluctantly informed him.

Littlehorn sighed, "What were the damages? How much did those power armored boy scouts cost us today?" He demanded as he poured himself another glass, now needing it instead of simply wanting it. There was a moment's hesitation on the other end of the line.

"We lost the entire squad. All of their weapons were looted, along with ammo. But it wasn't the Brotherhood. They were killed with ballistic weapons. The squad found .308 and 10 mm casings, one man had his throat ripped out." Jabsco informed him.

And just like that, Littlehorn's day soured. "I thought he was out at Olney? And what happened to you reassuring that your men could _handle_ that **pest**!" He growled as he slammed the now empty glass onto the table.

"Jabsco, I am tired of losing resources. Especially to this so called _Wasteland Mesiah_! You've had your chance to handle this man. Multiple. In fact," He paused for a moment to take a breath. "I'm going to get in contact with my Associates, if you cannot handle this lone man, then they will find someone who can!" He slammed the phone down onto the receiver, not waiting for a response. He had work to do.

* * *

The hull of Rivet City loomed over them, the rusting mass of once grey metal sat immobile. Two hundred years of nuclear ash and silt keeping it firmly grounded, even as the salt water lapped away at the hull. A few guards patrolled what had once been the flight deck of the aircraft carrier, along with the two who constantly stood guard at the bridge over to the city entrance.

Collin grinned a little when he looked back to see Amata, wide eyed and a little slack jawed at the sight of the massive ship turned city. He watched as one of the cranes on the side of the ship turned outwards. This one was smaller than the one hooked to the bridge, and had a large flat plate of steel balanced underneath it to create a platform.

"Y- you said the ship was big. This isn't big. It's massive!" She exclaimed as she looked over to him, somewhat unable to fully grasp the size of the ship. "How many people actually live here?"

Collin scratched his head for a moment as he watched the platform get lowered to the ground. "Oh, I think it's something around 1,000 people or better. You've got to remember that a few hundred people live in Megaton alone."

"Wow. And I thought 101 was crowded…" She said as she looked to take in the entire length of the ship. Collin smiled a little, she was honestly taking this in stride compared to his reaction.

"Yeah, imagine how I felt on my first time visiting. The first time I came here I was being chased by super mutants. Got pushed back up that ramp there trying to hold them off." He chuckled some as the makeshift cargo elevator finally landed on the ground with a thud. "I spent what felt like an hour screaming into their mic system and shooting before they helped me drive them off." He said as he drove the bike up onto the makeshift lift.

He knelt down, grabbing a strap that was hooked to the platform itself and brought it up and over the bike. He used this to secure the bike tightly to the platform itself and then hooked it to another spot on the platform. He climbed off, then helped Amata do the same as Dogmeat scrambled his way out of the sidecar. They both grabbed their things from the bike, Collin grabbed the duct taped rifles and handed the ammo bag to Amata before they all stepped off the platform. He signaled to the guards, who activated the crane, lifting his bike up to the storage on the flight deck of Rivet City.

"It'll be safe enough up there. I know the captain of the guard pretty well." He said as he motioned for her to follow him. They started heading up the ramp towards the Rivet City entrance. Amata nodded, still somewhat amazed by the size of the carrier itself.

"H-how did they get all of this running?" She asked, looking at the crane that had lifted the bike up and the one that was supporting a sort of bridge.

"This carrier had a nuclear reactor to power it. They managed to get it back up and running, and salvaged enough to rewire most of it for lighting and such. It was originally used for research by scientists. But more people started coming because it was safe. Eventually it became what it is today." He said as they made their way up the ramp and onto the gangway bridge. It was slowly gathering rust, and old tarps had been laid over it to try and keep the wet off the metal. Two guards stood at the far end of the bridge and nodded to them.

"Names, Place of Origin, Business in Rivet City." One of them ordered, it was standard procedure unless the person was a known resident of Rivet City. Collin nodded.

"Collin Sharp, Olney, here to set up a trade deal."

"Amata Almodovar. The same."

The guard nodded, scribbling both things down. "I must warn you that while weapons are permitted within the walls of Rivet City. Pointing one at a guard will be considered an attack and will be dealt with appropriately, pointing one at a civilian without reason will be dealt with the same." The man said, the lines sounding practiced. He stepped out of their way, allowing them inside.

* * *

Rivet City's market had been built in the largest space available on the carrier. The old aircraft hangar. It'd been a natural choice, the massive space allowed for a veritable bazaar to be set up inside. Multiple shops and restaurants, all selling different things. The smell of different foods filled the air, mixing with the long standing oil and grease smell of the room itself. The sounds of dozens of people filled the area as they bought, sold, and traded anything and everything.

Off on the far side, just barely visible, was a large elevator. It'd originally been used to ferry aircraft to and from the flight deck, but the engineers of Rivet City had repurposed it as a massive freight elevator. This allowed traders and caravans to bring their goods down without the Brahmin being shoved into such a tight area.

Collin looked on as everyone went about their business, the constant commotion creating an exciting buzz in the air as he looked around for a familiar sign. Amata stood beside him, taking in the market for the first time. The smells, noise, and all the sights. It was almost overwhelming compared to the stark silence and lack of color that the wasteland itself mostly offered.

"T- this place is unbelievable." She said as she looked around more. She would've been completely lost if it wasn't for the markets layout. Six rows of stalls and stands stretched out along the length of the carrier's hangar. Each one being separated by a wide row that allowed the shoppers to move freely between the stalls. The oldest businesses seemed to be set up in the center two rows, almost forming a main street of sorts. Guards patrolled along the row's, while shoppers went about their business. Some of the shops had actual neon signs hanging up and flashing, while others had hand painted ones or even just the shop owners shouting out and pedaling their wares over the din of the crowd.

Collin finally spotted the one sign he'd been looking for, a flashing red neon sign that read 'GUNS! GUNS! GUNS!' hanging from a tent pole. An old olive drab tarp had been draped over the top of the home made tent. A large, hand painted sign hung from the front. Collin stepped forwards, hefting the duct taped bundle of weapons onto the counter. "Flak N Shrapnel's. Best damned weapons in the wastes." He said.

"Well shit, look what the Deathclaw dragged in." Flak said from his spot on the old couch. He sat with his feet propped up on a coffee table, a beer in hand. "And he brought gifts too." The balding man laughed as he stood up. "What can I do for ya kid?" He asked as he came to lean on the counter.

Collin smirked and pulled out a knife, using it to cut the duct tape and unwind it from the guns. "Yep, compliments of Talon Company. Couple of R-91's, two type 93's, and a scoped hunting rifle." He said as he pointed them each out. He nodded to Amata, who came forward and set the bag of ammo on the table.

Flak nodded, looking the rifles over before opening the bag. He looked back to the shop, where one of the kids they hired was taking stock for him. "Here kid, count out this ammo real quick." He said, motioning to the bag. The boy rushed forward and started taking out magazine after magazine, quickly counting the amount of ammo in each one.

"The guns are in okay shape. The hunting rifle is pretty beat up, but it's got a good scope on it. Two of the R-91's are okay, but this ones got a crack forming in the upper receiver." He said, pointing out the crack he was talking about. "So I'll have to scrap it for parts. The Type-93's are in the best condition. They'll fetch a nice price." He said as he thought for a moment.

"I can give you 750 caps for the lot. Plus, another 100 for the ammo." He said, looking to them.

Collin sighed, that was a pretty fair deal. "Hmm, what kind of weapon mods you got for either of these?" He asked as he set his Garand on the table and motioned to Amata, who came forward and lay her 10 mm SMG on the table. The older man scratched his beard for a minute, then went and hefted a foot locker up onto the table.

"I don't think I got anything for that rifle of yours. Still got my guys picking through that national guard base after the Brotherhood cleaned it out." He said as he started digging through the boxes and bags he'd used to organize the various mods. Finally, he pulled out two boxes. "Got some stuff for the ladies MP9 there. A folding stock and a new barrel guard with a fore grip." He said as he opened up the boxes to show them the part quality. Both were a little aged, but looked in good condition. "I'll sell and install both of them for you for 250 caps." He said.

Collin looked back to Amata as she thought. Her eyes glanced from her gun to the two modifications. She looked to him and nodded, "Give the gun a good thorough cleaning and you have a deal." She said, holding out her hand for the man to shake.

Flak laughed some, but took her hand, shaking it firmly. "Well boy, you've found yourself a negotiator then haven't you? Hell, she did better than you did your first time here!" He said as he let her hand go and started counting out 600 caps.

Collin grinned a little, remembering how he'd started out just accepting whatever price people told him, not realizing that he could barter and haggle with them. Even now, he still wasn't that good at it. "Heh, what can I say. She's got the natural born qualities of a leader in her." He said, not catching the small smile that Amata gave him at the compliment.

"So, you guys want these caps split in any way?" Flak asked as he set six stringed stacks of 100 and another stack of 50 onto the counter.

"Yeah, split it fifty-fifty." Collin told the man as he pulled his rifle back up onto his shoulder. He took the half he was offered and slipped them into his backpack. Amata did much the same with hers, looking at the caps. Each one had a small hole poked in the center, allowing a length of wire or twine to be strung through them into far more easily counted stacks. She took the caps and followed Collin's style by putting them into a safe pocket of her own pack.

Flak took the weapon from her and put it along with the mods into a metal basket. He wrote down a number on a tag and a receipt, then tied the tag to the basket and gave Amata the receipt. He handed the basket to the boy who'd fished counting the ammo. "You can stop buy tomorrow when the shop opens, we should have it ready by then." He said.

Amata nodded, slipping the receipt into one of the zipper pockets on her jumpsuit. "Okay, thank you. What time do you open?" She asked him.

"The market opens up at 8:00 AM every morning. I'd say give it an hour before stopping in, so we can get it finished and brought back up here." He said with a nod. "Now, if you two will excuse me. I've got more customers to deal with. Have a good one." He said as he turned to a group of merc's coming in to do business.

They bid goodbye to the man before Amata turned back to Collin. "Where to next?" She asked him. She was looking around a bit more now, actually feeling a little exposed without the MP9 on her back.

"Well, next we should go and rent some rooms for the evening. Farmers are bringing in their last crops for the year, what little they can actually grow. So let's hope the hotel isn't too full. After that, we should go meet with Doctor Li, she can call a meeting of the Council so we can work out a trade deal for food from her hydroponics lab." He said. "Then we can just explore… Ah shit. I forgot to talk to Flak about supplying us with ammo for Olney." He said, knocking himself in the forehead. "We'll have to do that tomorrow as well." He said.

Amata nodded, smiling some at him. "Well, let's go get the rooms lined out. Then, how about some food." She said, shouldering her pack a little more.

Collin smirked, "Heh, food. You know me so well." He chuckled some as they maneuvered through the ever crowded market.

* * *

The Weatherly Hotel was made to be as warm and inviting as ever, although far busier than Collin last remembered it. A series of farmers and traders were currently staying here, trying to pedal and prepare to move goods for the coming winter. Vera Weatherly, the short haired blonde who ran the hotel, sat behind her reception counter as she ran through some paperwork. Her robotic butler, Mister Buckingham, was greeting their customers and helping to sort out any problems and questions. The Mr. Handy's eye stalk that first spotted them seemed to lift in joy as he called out.

"Ah, Mr. Sharp! Wonderful to see you again. And you've brought a companion with you as well. Welcome to the Weatherly Hotel, Miss. Where all can feel at home." The robot repeated the hotels slogan. Amata let out a smile at the greeting as she and Collin moved forward.

"It's good to see you two again. How's Brian doing?" He asked, seeing that the boy wasn't in the hotel. Vera stood from her work and smiled a little.

"He's doing fine. Out playing with some of the other children on the ship. He's been adjusting well to living here." She said as she quickly scanned her roster of ten rooms. "I hope you two weren't looking for separate rooms, I've only got one left. It's a single bed too." She told them.

Collin sighed, he'd been afraid of this. He forced himself to ignore the images that rushed into his head. Him and Amata in the same room for a night, with only one bed. He glanced over to Amata, who seemed to have stiffened a little in her back. The idea had caught her off guard too at least. He brought himself back to the conversation before pulling out a handful of caps.

"Okay, that'll be fine." He placed the money on the counter, letting her count it out as he looked to Amata. "You can have the bed. I'll sleep on the couch or something." He told her. She nodded for now, but the look on her face told him that they would be arguing about this later tonight.

Vera pulled two key's off of a ring she kept in her pocket, handing one to each of them. "Fine by me. It's room number seven. Fourth door down on the left. Hope you guys have a good stay." She called out to them as they headed back. Amata hurried forward, unlocking the door for them both.

The room itself was simply furnished. A decent sized bed with a nightstand and lamp next to it. Two chairs and a table were set in one corner of the room, acting as a sort of dining area. The second largest piece of furniture was a large dresser with a series of drawers in it for storing clothes. On top of which sat a radio. The covers on the bed were old, but they were solid and cleaned as well as possible. Amata set her things down by the dresser itself, then looked back to him, crossing her arms.

"What do you think you're doing?" She asked, looking at him with slightly narrowed eyes.

He moved in, setting his things down by the chairs and table. "What do you mean?" He asked her. Her eyes narrowed a little more.

"You know good and well what I mean. All this 'Oh, I'll let you have the bed nonsense.'" She said, jabbing her finger into his chest. "Always acting like I need special treatment." Amata said before backing away.

Collin raised his hands in his defense, "I- I'm not treating you like you're special. I'm trying to be nice is all." He said as his eyes followed her. She rounded on him again.

"Then quit making it harder on yourself when it isn't necessary Collin. I mean, my goodness, it isn't like we haven't shared a bed before." She said with a sigh, pinching the bridge of her nose and also hiding a small tinge of red on her ears.

It was true after all, when her father had started getting worse, she would slip out some nights and sneak down to Collin's room. Some nights, when it'd been bad, she'd fallen asleep in his bed while talking to him and they would wind up sharing it for the night.

Collin scratched the back of his neck, looking away some. "Okay. Okay." He said with a sigh. "We'll split the bed tonight. There should be enough room after all." He smiled some, looking back up to her.

Amata smiled some as well, "Good. Thank you Collin. I know I'm not used to life out here. But you can't treat me like I'm fragile. Let me adapt." She said with a grin. "And yeah. I'm sure there's…." She turned to the bed to look at it. "..plenty?" She let the sentence drop off, her eyebrow quirking upwards at the sight.

Collin looked to the bed as well, now seeing what she had. One very content looking dog was now stretched out across the bed, clearly having claimed it as his own. Collin shook his head a little, chuckling at the dog.

"Well, if we leave it up to him then I guess Dogmeat gets the bed." He said, watching as she smiled some. "Lazy mutt."

Amata moved over to the door again, looking back to him with a smile. "Let's let him have his turn for now, we can settle this after we come back. Let's just go get some food for now." She said. "I might even let you pay for me. Vault Boy." She smirked, heading down the hallway.

Collin grinned before hurrying after her, closing the door behind him.


	15. Chapter 15

Well everyone, I'm back. And... I know how late I am. I guess I owe you guys some explanation for why. I won't tell it up here, because I want you guys to focus on the story and not me. A quick explanation will be at the bottom. Hope you guys enjoy the story, and once again, I'm really sorry for the delay.

* * *

The noise of the market in the evening was as loud if not more so than it was during the day. Collin smiled as he followed Amata back into the crowded market. More people had flooded the streets. Off duty guards, various mercenaries, regular citizens of the city. All of them moved about bargaining and browsing with the vendors. The smell of cooking foods wafted through the air more now, as people sought out their dinner for the evening.

Amata looked around, glancing at each of the shops that they passed before turning to him. "So... any recommendations on dinner?" She asked him, smiling a little as they both attempted to dodge around the people moving between the stalls.

Collin tapped his chin for a moment, considering what she might like. "Hmm, well. The oldest and best known place here is Gary's Galley." Collin told her as he started to lead her in that direction. "Only issue is that it's probably gonna be crowded." He chuckled.

"Well, if it's busy then that means it's got to be good." Amata looked to him grinning. The streets were crowded, so she had to stick close to him while still browsing the shops. She finally stopped him when they came across a clothing shop that had caught her eye. "Hey, hold up a second Collin. I'd like to check out some things here." She told him, getting his attention.

Collin stopped and turned back, smiling some. "Go ahead, take your time." He said as he leaned back against the stall itself, doing a little browsing of his own. Amata started to dig through the clothes, doing her best to remember her own sizes. Her gaze settled on a long sleeved flannel shirt that was died blue with some black stripes, albeit faded. And an equally faded pair of jeans that were still in half decent shape.

"Huh, I figured you would've chosen the Vault Tec classic." He chuckled some as she folded up the clothes as best she could. She rolled her eyes at him.

"Well, unlike some. I might just so happen to have a sense of fashion that goes beyond army green." She smirked some, noting how for the past few days he'd mostly worn some sort of military fatigues. She looked to the young woman standing behind the counter, setting the clothes there and starting to count out caps.

Collin stuck his tongue out at her as he leaned against the coutner. "Oh, you know that OD Green is definitely my color." He chuckled some as the girl wrapped the clothes in some old newspaper and tied it with some twine before handing it to Amata. She rolled her eyes at him.

"Yeah... and I'm gonna take over as leader of the Tunnel Snakes." She said before her eyes suddenly widened. "Tunnel Snakes!" She said before wheeling around on Collin, "Have you seen Butch? He left the Vault when you returned and we haven't seen him since!" Her eyes had taken on that worried look that he'd seen. He just never thought it would be for Butch.

"I haven't seen him in a few months… Sorry Amata. He traveled with me for a while to learn the basics. But once the war heated up he took on work as a caravan guard. I did some traveling on my own during that time." He said, shaking his head. "Although, if I had to guess. He'll find out about us soon enough."

She sighed, "Yeah. I hope so. Butch.. Butch was an ass. But he started to lighten up there at the end. When we were trying to keep the vault from ripping itself apart and stop my father. He was the one who helped me rally the rest of the group you found us with." She told him.

Collin nodded slowly, "I know, Butch grew up a lot out here too. He somehow found his way to here without my help, and then agreed to travel with me for a bit. He was a dick at times. But some of the stuff we'd seen out there changed him." He said. "Butch is resourceful, hell, he might already be on his way to Old Olney." He reassured her, smiling softly.

Amata had nodded, but he could still see the worry on her face. "Come on, let's get some food." He smiled and lead her towards the infamous Galley. It was actually a little lighter on the crowd tonight, giving them just enough room to get to two bar stools at the counter and sit down.

An older man with dark blond hair came forward, giving them both a tired smile. "Welcome to Gary's Galley, how're you doing this evening Collin?" He asked the young man. Collin smiled some.

"Oh, I'm doing alright Gary. Just been working hard." He chuckled some. The man nodded, a short laugh escaping him.

"And we all know how that can go. Now who is this with you?" He asked, turning to Amata. He offered her his hand. "I'm Gary Staley, I'll be your chef this evening. Nice to meet you." He said smiling.

"I'm Amata, and it's nice to meet you too Mr. Staley." She said, giving the man a firm handshake. "I'm a friend of Collins from Vault 101." She smiled.

He nodded, then set down two small menus before them. "Well, I'll give you two a moment to order then." He said as he quickly moved to serve some other customers. Collin scanned through the menu choice, looking for what might catch his eye.

"So, are you feeling adventurous for your meal?" He asked her, chuckling some. She rolled her eyes at him.

"Oh hush. Besides, I've found it better to just think of it as meat instead of what it might be." She said smirking as she foiled his plan. "In fact, I've already decided. I'm going to have the special. Mirelurk cakes with some steamed potatoes and carrots."

He grinned back, "Good choice actually. For me, I'm starved so I'm feeling a nice big plate of Yao Gaui Roast, and how does some ice cold Nuka sound for the drink?" He asked her. The obvious grin on her face was a yes to that. They ordered their meals, and, with both hungry, little conversation was had as they ate in a comfortable silence.

* * *

"So, where are we headed to now?" Amata asked from behind him as they moved through the narrow halls of Rivet City. Collin glanced back to her while dodging around people who were out walking, a smile on both of their faces at the full feeling you get after a good meal.

"We're gonna go pay a visit to a family friend. Doctor Madison Li. She's the current project head of both Rivet City's hydroponics garden and of Project Purity. She might be able to help us with the food issues for the coming winter." He said as they headed down.

"She was friends to your family? So that means she knew…" She stopped, seeing him stiffen up a little. Collin sighed softly, but nodded.

"Yeah… she worked with mom and dad on Project Purity. She knew them both pretty well. She's now… well. She's one of the last of the Original Project Purity groups." He told her before stopping at a door. He pulled on the lever, and with a slight squeak, they entered the science bay.

Before them it looked like an entire length of the carrier had been cleared out to make room. Bulkheads had been cut away to make more room. Special lights had been installed to replicate sunlight, and rows upon rows of planters were set on tables or on the ground. It was all very carefully set up and manicured. And most every plant down here could either be used in food or medicine. It was honestly quite amazing. Scientists and workers moved about, monitoring the plants and moving certain ones. Others monitored the water distribution set up.

The air in here was warmer than the rest of the ship due to it all, and Collin smiled some. This place, as controlled as it was, was literally full of life. "Wow... this place has more food than I've ever seen." He heard Amata say off to his side. He smiled some, looking around for a familiar doctor.

"Doctor Li!" He called out, seeing her come out of a small laboratory set up off to the side. She stood with an authoritative look as she looked up to him on the balcony. When she finally recognized him, a small smile appeared on her face.

"Ah, Mr. Sharp. Good to see you. And I see you've brought a guest." She said. Dr. Li was dressed in her normal attire, a dirty white lab coat and blue dress underneath. She seemed tired, and a few grey hairs had appeared in her hair.

"It's good to see you as well Doctor." He said as he headed down the steps, Amata not far behind. The building was warmer somehow down here, the environment needed for healthy plant growth. Li waited for them as she took a moment to examine an apple tree that they'd managed to get growing. She examined some of the green fruit, waiting for them to reach her. "And yes, this is Amata Almodovar, a good friend and the current oversee… leader, of the people of Vault 101." He told her.

Amata smiled to the woman, offering her a hand. "It's nice to meet you, ma'am."

Li smiled some, "And an honor to meet you too Ms. Almodovar. So, what brings you to my hydroponics lab?" She asked the girl.

"Well, my people were just relocated to Camp Olney, around fifty of us, plus another dozen or more survivors. Not counting the brotherhood soldiers themselves. I was hoping we could negotiate a trade deal with Rivet City for some of the canned goods you make here?" Amata put forward. "Enough to feed that many people, or for us to set up a sort of garden like this on our own."

Li nodded, tapping her chin. "Well, from what reports the Brotherhood has gathered, hunting up around Old Olney is pretty good. Herds of Radstag's will be coming down from the north for the winter, and there is a lot of untouched low grass out there. A small group of Brahmin has already been sent there as well. Each person will need between 2500 to 3500 calories a day to make it through the winter." She considered everything.

"It won't be too hard to do. I can promise you two caravans of Brahmin loaded with canned goods. Alone, it isn't a lot. But, if you used it, hunting, and some scavenging to supplement the MRE's I'm sure the brotherhood has there, then I think you will be fine." She said as she examined the tree and its fruit. "The question is… how to make it a fair trade for Rivet City." She said as she turned to them. "Personally I'd prefer it if we could just send you the supplies, but… I have to help provide profit to keep this going. I'm going to need around 2,500 caps." She told them. "Or something of equal value."

Amata nodded, tapping her chin some. "We have two food processing and sanitizing units we brought from the vault, and the educational holotape's from it as well. We could create copies of those tapes and give them to you." She offered.

Li seemed to think for a moment, "Well… I don't know what we could do with the food processors, although I'm sure you could sell those up at the market. But the educational holotape's are most certainly a nice find. If you have a complete set, all the way up to say algebra or calculus and chemistry or even just earth sciences. Then I could easily take off 700 caps." She said.

Amata smiled widely, "I think that would be great." She said. "Is there any way we could set up a payment plan? Maybe a trade for things we scavenge, such as weapons or scrap. Or just a payment plan for caps." She said.

"That'd be fine, as Rivet City is always looking for more supplies. Also, any excess meat you might want to sell would be accepted. It'll take around a week for the first caravan to be ready and sent to you, the second will come a week and a half later. Is that okay?" Li asked.

Amata nodded, "Yes, that should be fine. It will give us enough time to assemble enough to pay off each caravan." She said as she pulled out the money she'd gotten from their gun trade, holding it out. "Consider this a down payment on good faith. 250 caps total." She said.

"Thank you, and don't worry about the council. I'm authorized to make and arrange these deals. So it'll all be taken care of." Li told them as she accepted the caps. "Thank you, this'll help things to go smoothly for you and your people."

Collin chuckled some, "Thanks for working with us Doctor, this food will help the people there quite a bit." He told her.

"I know, and, that discount is the least I can do this late into the season. I wish I could do more Collin, especially since your father and you…" She paused, ending that before it started. "The caravans will make it, and they will have fresh food on them." She said, offering him a smile. Collin nodded in agreement.

"It's fine Doctor Li, don't worry about it." He said, offering her a smile to hide his feelings. "Thank you for the help." He said before shaking her hand quickly.

"Of course, any time Mr. Sharp, Ms. Almodovar. It was good to see and meet you both." She said. "I'm sorry to run, but I have a meeting to get to with the other scientists here. We're attempting a new fertilization method and want to see how it goes." She said. "Both of you, have a good evening."

Collin nodded to her, watching the doctor as she left. He looked to Amata, nodding with a small smile. They both turned and headed up the ramp, looking to explore the carrier some more.

* * *

Butch Deloria ducked down behind an old car as he reloaded his shotgun. It was a pump action with a pistol grip. He ducked down lower as a bullet glanced off the hood. "Fuck! Fuckin' raiders!" He said as he looked around. The other water guards and the merchant were all staying low, firing back when they could. He shoved a final shell into his shotgun and pumped it, standing back up for a moment when the fire slackened some.

Sure enough, his eyes fell on another group of raiders were charging them. Screaming and shouting like the drug induced mad men they were. "Come get some pretty boy!" One of the screamed as he charged Butch with a machete. He was met with a load of buckshot to the face and neck, turning him to hamburger meat.

"Who the fuck you calling pretty boy!" Butch sneered as he fired at another raider, catching her in the arm, causing her to start screaming bloody murder. The other guards had joined in, pouring on their own fire at the charging raiders. The fire was effective, even though it came from mostly pistols and hunting rifles.

"Come on! Keep pouring it on them!" Shouted out the caravan merchant from behind them as he fired a 10 mm pistol. One of the guards already lay dead, another two were wounded. And more than enough raiders were still coming at them for the water.

"Fuck, they're hyped up on something!" One of the other guards said as he put a rifle round into a raider charging with a lead pipe. The amazing thing was that the raider too the bullet and still tried to run forward. "It's gotta be psycho!" He said as he fired a second round, this one putting the same raider down.

Butch growled, it was always something. Some kind of bullshit or another that was just ruining his day. He fired another scattering of buckshot at the charging raiders, trying to thin them out. "Come on you sorry son's a bitches! Ya ain't got nothing on a Tunnel Snake!" He shouted as he kept up the fire. Finally, his shotgun was empty again, and another raider came charging out from behind some cover, a baseball bat in hand. He screamed as he climbed onto the hood of the car, then jumped at Butch, bat over his head.

Butch flipped his shotgun around, grabbing it by the barrel. He swung upwards, meeting the raiders bat with the back end of the shotgun. The impact jarred them both. The raider stumbled as he landed on the ground. Butch took a few steps back to recover and yanked a 10 mm pistol from a holster under his jacket. He didn't think twice as he pumped the entire magazine into the raider's chest.

He looked up, and it seemed that after that last charge, the raiders had had enough. The few that were left had pulled back from their position in some nearby ruins, a few of the rifle equipped guards firing to make sure that they kept running. Butch rolled his shoulder and wrist some from the jarring of the shotgun, then pulled out a pack of cigarettes and a lighter. He pulled one out and lit up, taking a puff of it. "That'll teach'em. Bunch a pricks."

He picked back up his shotgun, reloading it as the others set about to tending the wounded or collecting weapons. While Butch loved to collect a few goodies, he was more focused on getting to Olney right now. If this rumor shit was true, then it'd be one hell of a homecoming. He took another drag from it, the nicotine hitting him. He grabbed one of the wounded who'd already had a stimpack injected and helped them up. "Come on, I got family to see. Let's get this show on the road."

* * *

To make a long story short. Quite simply put I got into a funk. We got some bad news and thought some family medical issues were getting worse. Between that, class, and just something going on with me. I had to take a small break from writing. I wasn't coming up with good ideas anymore and while I feel okay about this chapter, I'm hoping to get back to being on top of my writing. Things are improving now though.

Thank you guys for sticking with Winds of Change, for all of the reviews and follows and encouragement. Just know that this show is still on the road, and that the adventures of Collin are far, far from over.

I'd like to give a special shout out to Mandalore the Freedom for adding The Winds of Change to his Community list of stories. He's got a pretty badass list going on there. And I'm honored to be a part of it. Thank you!

F.S. Out!


	16. Chapter 16

It was the sound of someone shouting that tore Collin from his sleep. He shot straight up in the bed, there was a ringing in his ears, his chest hurt, and the sheets around him were soaked with sweat. He looked around, wide eyed with the room blurry and unfocused. The first thing that broke through the ringing that he recognized was Dogmeat's barking. He noticed the open door before them, with two forms blocking part of the light into the dark room. Then he felt hands on him, and reacted. His hand slammed on the table next to him as he reached for his gun, pulling it into his grasp he started to bring the pistol to bear on the two in the doorway. At least until someone practically tackled him and grabbed his hand.

"Collin! Collin! It's me! It's Amata!" One of the voices finally broke through his haze. It was as though everything started to clear at once. Half laying on him, using all her strength to keep him still with her hands wrapped around the gun was Amata. She was looking to him, a somewhat scared and worried look in her eyes. He glanced to the door, where he'd been about to start shooting. Before him stood Vera and Brian, looking in the door wide eyed.

His breathing was ragged, like he couldn't get enough air in. His grip went lax on the handgun, and it clattered to the floor. He lay there, his entire body suddenly going limp as he fell back onto the bed, Amata landing on him halfway due to not expecting on it. A small, strangled noise came to his throat as he lay there, forcing himself to calm.

"Collin… talk to me. What happened? Y-you were screaming… you wouldn't wake up…" she said, her voice shaking some as she tried to calm down, finally relaxing herself and getting off of him. She'd woken up to him screaming bloody murder as he lay there. He shook his head some, just lying there, shaking some.

"It's nothing." He murmured as he lay there, unable to look at any of them. Without warning, he hurried out of bed, not looking to any of them, and hurried into the bathroom. After a few moments, they could hear the sounds of the shower running, one of the few luxuries of living here on the carrier. They could mass purify water. Drinking water took a little longer, but water clean enough to bathe in didn't.

Amata looked at the closed door, caught off guard by Collin's sudden escape. She sighed, then looked to Vera who was still standing there. "W-what happened to him?" Amata asked them. Vera sighed for a moment, then looked to her.

"Take a bit to get dressed…. I'll explain out at the lobby." She said as she ushered Brian out with her, the door closing behind them. Amata sighed, looking to the door for another moment before she went ahead and began to pack.

The smell of something hot and sweet was the first thing that came to Amata's nose. She could see a coffee pot on the table where Vera was sitting. A hot, amber liquid sat in their coffee cups, but not dark enough to be coffee. She came over and sat down with the older woman. "So… can someone please explain what just happened in there?"

Vera looked up to her, then set a mug before her with some of the liquid. "Here, drink this first. It's apple cider." She said kindly as she took a drink from her own mug. Amata looked to the woman, a little irked at having her question ignored, but then brought the mug to her lips, taking a drink of the sweet yet spicy liquid. This was new to her, but it was good, and the warming effect calmed her some.

"I guess he hasn't told you much… has he?" Vera asked her once she'd put the mug down. Amata shook her head, which caused Vera to sigh softly. "What… has he told you?" She asked Amata.

"He… he's told me there was some kind of fight. That some people came to try and take the fresh water purifier." She started, staring into her cup. "He said his father, James, was killed. But nothing else." She told Vera.

Vera smiled softly. "He's always so modest… that's one thing anyone who knows him knows." She said. "We'd only heard bits and pieces about Collin, or the 'Lone Wanderer' as Three Dog came to call him. First it started with stories of a young kid in a vault suit disarming the bomb in Megaton… Then came reports that someone had helped rescue some people and got them to Bigtown…" She said. "The big thing though… was when he arrived at GNR. It was under assault by Super Mutants and the Brotherhood was trying to hold it. He showed up and helped them, then grabbed up a Fatman Launcher and fired it at a behemoth… he killed it." She explained. Amata was stunned, listening to this story. "Three Dog watched the fight from the radio station. Said the kid fired a mini nuke right down the things gullet and it exploded from the inside out." She added in.

"H… he did all of this?" Amata asked. "H… how. Collin wasn't always such a fighter. He'd only ever punched Butch once and that was for me." She said. "Is it all of this fighting that caused him to have those night terrors?" She asked curiously.

"Yeah… somehow he did that all. To find his dad." Vera said. "But… it wasn't the fighting that affected him like this… It was what happened not long after the war started between the Brotherhood and the Enclave. After his father passed, he went on some kind of a mission… that's all we knew. And he disappeared for most of a month."

Amata looked to her, "D… disappeared? Does anyone know what happened to him or where he went?" She asked.

"Well, no one knows for sure. But… not long after, Raven Rock, the Enclave base here. Well, the reports were of multiple Vertibird's fleeing from it and the sound of explosions. And then… not long after, a caravan dragged him back to Megaton where he recovered. As for what happened, well, no one knows. But some …" She started.

"Like to create big stories that aren't true." Collin interrupted, he was leaning against the door, looking at both of them. His look wasn't angry or judging. He just looked… tired, worn out, and for the first time she saw a look in his eyes she hadn't noticed. That he had a wisdom beyond his age in things that she'd never guessed. He looked to them for a second, then came on out. "Sorry about earlier. Just a dream."

He had both his and Amata's gear, and sat hers down for her. "We should probably get ready to go. We've got a long day ahead of us after all." He said, looking to her with a small attempt at a smile that didn't quite get there. "I'll be outside whenever you're ready." He said, and before anyone could bother him, he was gone.

Vera looked to Amata once she heard the door close. "Don't worry. He'll be alright. He's just been through a lot. And he'll tell you in his own time. Seems like he trusts you, and despite all of his friends there aren't many people out here he trusts. Not fully anyways." She told Amata.

Amata nodded and finished the rest of her drink. "Okay. I'm just… worried about him. I'll try and see what I can find out. I want to help him. Just like he's helping me." Amata told her before standing. "Thank you for everything Vera. I hope you have a good day."

"It's fine. A lot of people are glad to see him out and about again instead of constantly running Brotherhood Missions." She said before waving goodbye to the girl.

Amata returned the wave, then hurried out after Collin.

* * *

Collin couldn't help but glance to Amata as she hurried up to him and then continued past. She was a few paces ahead of him, following the signs as they headed back towards the market. He was still trying to collect himself after that dream. It'd been real, oh so real. He remembered everything, it was scared onto his brain.

"There's still one last place I have to stop by. Gotta look into some robots." He said as they walked, he honestly just wanted to forget about it. However, when Amata looked back to him, he could see that she had no intention of doing so.

"Okay, that's fine. I have to pick up my gun after breakfast anyways." She said softly, pausing for a moment. "Collin… please, tell me what happened back there. W…what was your dream about?"

He sighed and looked to her, "It was just a dream Amata… a dream about ghosts of the past. Nothing more." He said. He couldn't tell her about that, he couldn't tell anyone about what had happened to him. All they needed to know was that he'd left.

"Yes, but what ghosts. What happened?" She said, stopping and placing a hand on his shoulder as she looked into his eyes. "Vera told me a lot, and yet I feel like I barely know my best friend anymore." She said softly.

His head dropped down some. "I'll tell you Amata. I promise. Just… not right now. I can't. Just know that… the Enclave went to war the day they attacked Purity… and they were willing to do anything to win that war. So… we had to... We had to be the same way"

Amata watched him for a moment, but then nodded some. She didn't want to imagine what he'd had to do. "Okay… just, if you ever need to talk… well, I don't mind listening. I want my best friend back." She said.

A weak smile appeared on Collin's as he nodded, "I know Amata… thank you. You never have minded." He said before suddenly pulling her into an embrace. She stiffened for a moment in the hug, but then relaxed and hugged him back. "And you've got him back… he's right here. I don't want to hide this from you Amata, but… I'm just not ready." He said, his voice breaking some.

She tightened her grip on him, and Collin very happily accepted this. _Thank you Amata. Thank you, _He thought as he stayed there, letting her hold him.

Collin broke the embrace after a few moments more, then offered her a small smile. "Now, what do you say we go get some breakfast?"

* * *

Bean's Bots was one of the newer stores in Rivet Cities market, but also one of the more quickly growing. There were always multiple robots up for sale. Everything from the basic Protectron and Mr. Handy to turrets and even a massive Sentry Bot in shut down mode at the back of the store. And in the middle of it all was Scott 'Bean' Wollinski. Tools scattered about the shop as he worked on the back of a Mr. Gutsy, the smell of solder and grease filled the area.

Collin walked up to him, having split off from Amata while she got her stuff back from Flak N' Shrapnel's. He came up to the counter of the robotics shop, list in hand as he leaned against the counter. A smile grew on his face some as he watched Bean work. Once the man pulled away from the Gutsy, he spoke.

"Hey, Bean. You got a moment?" He asked the man.

Bean jumped some, nearly dropping his wrench. A muttered "_Shit!_" Coming from him as he stood up.

"Damn Collin, you nearly scared me to death." He said as he pulled out a grease rag, wiping some of it off of his hands. "What can I do for you today?" he asked as he tucked the rag back into one of his coverall's pockets and stepped up to the counter.

Collin nodded some, "Well, I was wondering if you'd be up for some trading. Brotherhood could use some bot's for the new settlement. I figured, 'Who better to go to than the Mechanist himself.'" He said in a lower voice with a chuckle.

Bean sighed some, "Yeah yeah, don't remind me of that mess." He said with a slight chuckle and a shake of the head. "Well, what do you need?" He asked.

"Well, I was hoping for a few machinegun turrets, and possibly a Mr. Gutsy or some Protectron Security units." He said. "I can offer this up in trade, and the Brotherhood could probably reimburse you for the rest." He said as he pushed the list forward to Bean, showing all of the weapons available.

Bean tapped his chin some, "Well, I could definitely use some of these assault rifles they've recovered. I'm looking at doing some upgrades, making a newer, more powerful version of the current machinegun turrets. Instead of the standard 5 mm round, I'm looking to use a 5.56 mm round. It'll lower the rate of fire, but it's punching power will be increased." He explained.

"Huh, and are you sure it'll work?" Collin asked, intrigued. "How are you going to balance it out?" He asked. _I need the distraction, _he thought.

"Well, I've been able to purchase a few light machineguns from Flak and Shrapnel. M249 SAW's. They'll do for the preliminary tests. But due to a lack of them, I've been talking to Flak about a partnership. They make a special, three barreled mini-gun that fires 5.56 rounds for me, and I sell them and split the profits." He said with a nod. "I'm currently working on a mount for it, and I hope to adapt it for things other than weaponry."

Collin grinned some, "Sounds like an interesting invention, and I hope you can. We could use a good motorized turret system for things like irrigation." He said. "So, what do you think. We got a deal?" He asked.

Bean smiled, "I think I can make a deal. Especially since MG Turrets tend to be fairly cheap. I could offer up five of them in exchange for the weapons on the list. Plus getting them to the place of your choice. Unfortunately, I can't do the Protectrons though. Isn't enough here for their worth. I'd need another 2000 caps for them." He told Collin.

"Ah, well, I can't blame you for that." He said. "I'll take you up on that offer though. Five sentry turrets in exchange for this trade. You'll get the weapons on the return Caravan, I need them delivered to Outpost Olney." He said.

Bean nodded, writing everything else down. He offered a grease covered hand to Collin, who shook it firmly to confirm the deal. "Okay, I can agree to that." Bean said once the handshake finished. "So, how long are you in town for?" He asked.

"Well, we spent the night. We've gotta leave out today for GNR Plaza. To arrange for a shipment of winter clothing for them." Collin explained.

One of Bean's eyebrow's shot up, a questioning look on his face, "We? Who else is traveling with you? I thought the Lone Wanderer traveled alone." He laughed some.

Collin shrugged, "I'm traveling with a close friend from my vault. She wants to learn about our little world so she can lead her people." He explained.

Bean nodded, then looked behind Collin. "Ah, speaking of friend. Is that her with Dogmeat?" He asked. Collin glanced over his shoulder to see Amata leaning against the back wall nearby. She had everything already packed, and had bought a black ballistic vest to wear over her clothes. Her MP9 was already attached to her back, the upgrades barely visible. The pouches on the vest were packed with magazines for it.

"Yeah… that's her." He said with a nod.

"Well, can't keep you waiting from _her _now can I?" Bean asked, a hint of a smirk in his voice. "I'll have your stuff ready for you Collin. I'll talk with the Brotherhood about those Protectron's. Spend some time with your friend." He chuckled.

"I'd love to, but… too much work to do right now." Collin said with a small chuckle as he scratched the back of his neck.

"Kid, remember what you told me. Get too caught up in trying to play the hero and you'll lose everyone around you." He laughed, despite sounding completely serious. "Everyone's thankful for what you do Collin, but don't forget to take some time for yourself and your friends." He said.

Collin nodded, the first true smile he'd had all morning showing up on his face. "Thanks Scott… I will." Scott nodded, parting with a friendly smile as he returned to the robot he was working on. Collin shouldered his rifle, letting the sling settle comfortably over his armor. He headed over to Amata, the smile still on his face.

"Ready, Soldier Boy?" Amata asked him with a small smile.

"Ma'am yes Sir." He smirked, giving her a mock salute.

_Well, at least he's feeling better, _She thought. Smiling, she rolled her eyes walked with him, leaving behind the excitement of Rivet City for the adventures of the wasteland.


	17. Chapter 17

Hey everyone. I know its been a while since I've updated. But I'm back again. Glad to be back too. I had to take some time to focus on other things and get myself together. But I am here now and I don't intend on letting this story die. I hope you guys are still willing to ready the adventures of Collin and Amata, and I'm glad if I can bring you guys some entertainment.

As always, they aren't necessary, but I do enjoy getting feedback, good or bad. So, if you guys want to. Drop a review telling me how I can improve. I'm always up for good ConCrit!

FS Out!

* * *

The gaping maw of a metro tunnel sat before them. Darkness preventing them from seeing all the way down inside it. They weren't far from Rivet City, and Collin had chosen to leave his bike there. The faded cement of the tunnel entrance was a dirty grey, with mold growing along it. Mixing in with two-hundred-year-old graffiti. A skeleton was on the stairs, back leaned against the wall as the tattered rags of what had once been clothing clung to its rib cage and legs. An ancient beer bottle lay next to it, long since drained of its contents.

Collin looked over to Amata, who was looking skeptically at the entrance to the Metro. Her new armor on and the MP9 in her hands, cradled with the barrel pointed down like she'd probably seen him doing. She'd tied her hair back in its classic bun as well. "So… you're sure that this is the _only _way to get to GNR plaza?" she asked him.

He shook his head, "It isn't the only way… but the metro tends to be the safer way. There's still Super Mutants inside the city itself. Pockets of resistance that the Brotherhood has been unable to clear out just yet. Means that currently, this way is faster." He said. "Plus, I don't feel like leaving my bike out where someone can steal it." He said. "Anywhere else would add at least a day to our trip."

"So. Down into the dark tunnels then?" she said with a sigh as she turned on her Pipboy light. Collin reached up and flipped on his own helmet light, a beam shining straight down to the bottom of the stairs onto cracked concrete coated a layer of kicked around mud and dirt.

"Yeah. Down into the tunnels." He said with a slight nod, his rifle ready. He took the first few steps down, letting his light illuminate everything. "I'll admit I've never gone this way before, only heard about it a few times." He told her as he kept going.

She nodded, although that wasn't the most reassuring thing to hear ever, and followed him down. The sounds of the outside slowly being cut off as they descended down the stairs. Natural light being replaced by the yellowish white glow of their lights.

Collin heard the sound of her cocking her gun, and went ahead and made sure he had a round chambered himself. The sound of the two guns echoing down the stairway towards an open expanse of darkness filled his ears. It was a sound that made him uneasy, because it would alert any listening that they might be coming.

"We should try to find the reserve power to the station… see if it still works and we can get some light in here." He said softly as they moved forwards. The hallway itself was much like the stair well. Old graffiti, grey walls caked with dirt and mold. The only difference now was the row of long dead lights that hung overhead, and a dark brown splotch streaked across one of the walls of it.

They eventually arrived up onto the top floor of the metro station. A set of turnstiles and an old information booth sat at the end of the hallway. All of the turnstiles were open, staying in the same position they had when people had tried to escape the nuclear fire. If anyone had been trying to make it inside the station itself, then they had either made it, or the bodies had long since disappeared.

The glass of the information booth had been broken out, and the Metro Protectron that had been stationed inside was halfway dragged out. Its outer casing peeled apart like a giant sardine can and the innards of the robot ripped out as it lay face down. The damage was old, covered in dust from the years of lack of interaction with anything else. The only signs of human interaction were scuff marks of peoples boots.

"Collin…" Amata started, but he shushed her as he searched around for something. He finally found a decent sized stone laying off to the side and grabbed it up. He looked to her, then motioned out into the open expanse of the rest of the station and threw it hard. The rock itself bounced down the hallway before clanging against an overturned trashcan, making a racket.

Collin braced for the inevitable sound of feral ghouls waking up and hissing about to find the source of the noise. He listened carefully for even the slightest movement from below them, down in the main area. Yet, none came. The only sound seemed to be that of the occasional droplet of water, and their own breathing. No sound of ghouls climbing over scraps of metal and snapping at one another, no sound of humans talking in hushed voices. Nothing.

He could see Amata glancing to him curiously out of the corner of his eye, a 'Why did you do that?' look on her face. He waited a moment longer, then stood up to his full height again. "That's odd… should've at least been some ghouls down here. They love holing up in these old stations. I think it's clear." He said softly as he edged his way forward, past the turnstiles that had thankfully been opened fully.

"Well, I'm not complaining that it is." Her voice was just as quiet as his as she moved forward with him, moving out into the open section of the stations second floor. It wasn't much. Really just a large bridge that allowed one to cross over the tracks without worry. Seat's lined the middle of the path, still bolted and secured to the floor after all this time, although definitely showing signs of age. The cushions cracked and molded, some ripped open. Most all of the metal covered in rust. An old and faded map of the Metro stood in the center of it in a little display case.

Of course, this was only the top part, the bottom part was where they would have to get to so they could carry on. The map was still legible enough for him to point out where they were headed. "See, this is where we are. We've gotta head up and connect into L'Enfant Station, then slip under the Mall to Metro Central. After that it's a straight shot up through G-Town and Dup.." He started, until Amata shushed him.

"Col… I think you should come look at this."

"What do you see?"

Below them was a small tent city. Two trains sitting in the middle, one on each track. Both had various sorts of cloth and boards hanging over the windows. A few holes had been cut in the top, for what looked like might be the exhausts for heating stoves. Spread out around them were multiple other makeshift shacks and tents, sleeping bags laid out. Area's for what must've been cooking. It was all so… intricate.

And all of it was dead. A thick layer of dust and dirt had collected on the makeshift shanty buildings, any wood that had been used in construction was rotted or rotting away, leaving behind skeletal structures and collapsed tarps. Trash littered the area, old candy wrappers, glass bottles, and anything that the original inhabitants had decided they couldn't use.

Collin's eyes scanned over the abandoned tent city, wondering just how old it was and what had happened.

"All these people… they must've fled here when the bombs dropped." Amata's voice was low as she moved towards one of the long dead escalators. Eventually, her Pipboy's light shined down them, exposing what was at the bottom. Two long dead skeletons, clothes once again in tatters around the bones as they both lay at the bottom of the escalator.

One was smaller than the other, and it looked like they had been trying to get up the escalator while the other one watched something coming from the opposite direction. At the ones side side was the rusted remains of an old Colt 6520, partially covered by the years of dust. Spent 10 mm casings littered the ground nearby. Amata was taken aback by this, looking back to Collin as he descended the stairs, his helmet light providing more coverage than her pipboy's. "What happened here?" She asked softly. Both skeletons had yellowed from age, and some of the bones appeared to have been damaged by something.

More skeletons were becoming apparent thanks to their newfound awareness and Collins beam of light. Two more not far from the one with the gun. These however, unlike the first two, didn't have any rags of clothing left clinging to their bones. They did however show signs of damage to the bones from bullet wounds. Shattering in the chest plates, ribs cracked or in some cases shot off outright. One had had its leg bone completely fractured from what was probably a bullet wound. Another's head had a clean bullet hole in the front, with the back shattered open and gone.

"I don't know… definitely an attack of some sort. But… with all this decay it's old. Possibly only a few years after the bombs fell." He said as he stepped around the skeletal remains on the escalator, his rifle gripped a little tighter than it had been earlier. As Collin looked around, he could see more signs confirming this had been an attack. Some of the buildings had been burned out. More bullet casings littered the ground, along with the rusted over remains of old guns and the skeletal remains of both sides.

The battle seemed very one sided, as the casings didn't follow the pattern of a firefight between two sides with guns. It looked like either only one side had weapons, or at least had them in far greater numbers than the other did. And there were far more skeletons with bullet wounds than with what looked like blunt force trauma and other such wounds.

They made their way down one row of tent buildings, the dead silence now seemed overwhelming to them. Everywhere they turned they could see more signs of the fight. Until finally they saw two skeletons' inside a partway collapsed shack. Or what must've been two, judging by the amount of skulls present. One was significantly smaller than the other, clearly a child. The bones had been scattered about and busted open, any marrow inside of them gone.

Amata covered her mouth at this, shaking her head some at the sight of it all. "A..all of these people." She said softly, her voice a bit tighter than previous. Collin just closed his eyes some, letting out a soft sigh.

The next tent over held a similar scene, as did many others. More bones broken open, others showing clear signs of where they'd been chewed on and dropped. One held a family of four. Whatever had gotten to the other's must not have gotten to them. The door had long since rusted off its hinges, and inside revealed the skeletons of two kids and two adults. A family. All four of them showed signs of being shot in the head. One skeleton still holding onto an old snub nosed revolver where it sat.

The train cars were every bit as bad if not worse from what they could see inside of them. Skeletal remains littered everywhere, blood stains still stuck to parts of the cars, creating great brown patches on the glass that remained and the metal of the cars themselves. Amongst all of this carnage were what must've been family items. An old teddy bear, a child's doll, a rotted away baseball and glove, family photos, books covered in mold, and just so many more leftover memories of the people that had lived here. This continued on until they made it up to the actual tunnel that they were to continue down.

This was clearly where the fight had started. There were makeshift barricades setup at the tunnel mouth itself. Even a small amount of razor wire and an old machinegun position. Brass casings littered the floor here, to the point that it wasn't possible to avoid stepping on them. The bones of skeletons were numerous as well. Many were in the tunnel itself, obviously victims of the machinegun and anyone else who had been standing guard, but they advanced slowly until it came to the ones tangled in the razor wire and barricades and then the ones after who'd made it into the base itself.

The machinegun had been knocked over, laying on its side, the razor wire in front of it bent down with one skeleton caught in it. The skeleton of what might have been the gunner lay nearby, the hilt of a rusted away knife in his hand. Other bodies of soldiers lay scattered about the area as well, made clear by their rotting away military uniforms or the old helmets they wore.

Collin looked around from where he stood, light shining down the tunnel, then along the walls. He started scanning the area until he found what he was looking for off to one side. He pointed it out to Amata. "Station Office… if there's any way to get the power back on, it'll be in there." He said softly as he started towards it, now being much more careful as he stepped along. The ever present crunch of Amata's boots not far behind him.

The door to the office was simple, wooden with metal plates on each side to reinforce it. A solid deadbolt lock keeping it firmly in place as Collin discovered when he nearly slammed into the door trying to open it. Normally Collin would've chosen to lock pick the door, but he certainly didn't want to spend any longer down here than need be, and was sure that Amata didn't either. So instead, he braced himself and kicked the heel of his boot into the door, right next to the handle itself. The door shuddered, the sound of cracking wood coming from within as he brought his foot away. A fair sized dent was left in the metal shell of the door itself as well.

Two more kicks finally brought the door down. It flew back inwards on its hinges, slamming against the wall and rebounding before finally spending all the energy it had leaving itself halfway open. Collin pushed the door the rest of the way in with the muzzle of his rifle, then slowly moved in with Amata beside him.

The office wasn't much. There were two doors here, each one labeled with big bold letters. One labeled as the generator room, and the other being an office.

A thick layer of dust coated everything in here as well, although it was far more scarcely furnished than the station had been. Collin headed for the generator room first, which was at the back of the hallway. The walls of the hallway might have been decorated at one time, but any decoration there had been was long since gone. Lost to time itself. All that remained were the cold metallic walls, cream colored paint peeling from them.

The generator room itself wasn't much better off. A small room with an old world generator packed into one corner. One of the big ones that required a fusion core for its operation. The core itself was part way out of the slot, the machine deactivated due to it. The rest of the room was taken up by a tool bench, along with various parts for what might have been both the station and the generator. There were also various other things here.

"The survivors must've used this to work on their camp." Collin heard Amata say behind him. He made his way over to the generator, and pushed the core back down into the slot fully, then, after clearing some dust, flipped a switch. The startup was slow, the machinery having been stationary for so long that grease had turned solid and rust broke free from moving parts. The Fusion Core clunked into place, locking down as slowly the machine churned into life and lights began to restart. First the generators own lights returned, then, one at a time, the lights turned on through the rest of the office. A radio began to play in one of the other rooms.

"I'm amazed it still works."

"One of the benefits that the old world left us through all the nuclear power it used. These Fusion Cores power buildings, vehicles, the Brotherhoods Armor, heck, even weapons use them for power." Collin told her as he looked around.

Amata nodded slowly, "What about once they run out?" She asked.

Collin shrugged, "Well… for normal power. We've been considering hooking up a better generator system to Project Purity, along with wind turbines and solar panels." He said as he looked around some at the old tools that were scattered around. "For armor and weapons… we don't know yet." He said.

"And until that happens… it's just… buying time on old tech?" She asked, to which Collin nodded.

"Yeah… thankfully the cities have a lot of it." He said, before motioning for her to follow him out. "Let's see if we can find anything about what happened here." He said softly as he moved up to the other door, pushing it open slowly.

The first thing that caught Collin's eye was the skeleton sitting in an old office chair, one side of its skull completely gone, and another dried, rust colored blood stain on the wall across from them. A .44 lay on the ground, having slid a short distance away. The soldiers uniform was the only thing that held the skeleton together yet still.

A computer sat on a desk in front of the chair, looking out at the fractured, dust covered glass that divided the office from the rest of the station. The rest of the office space was taken up by the desk, a few filing cabinets, and a single person cot.

The computer itself was blinking faintly as it went through a startup procedure, finally a mass of green text appeared on the black screen, scrolling rapidly down the screen and, once it finished booting up, the computer entered a basic menu, containing a list of dates. Collin carefully pushed the office chair and skeleton out of the way, then moved over so he could use the computer himself, hearing Amata move to somewhere behind him.

"What are you doing?" She asked him as she watched. "We need to get going."

"I know. But… I want to know what happened here, entirely. These people had a story, someone should know it at least." He said softly as he started to scroll through the data entries. He heard a soft sigh from behind him, and soon felt Amata standing beside him. He honestly didn't know why he did read these old entries. Why he carried these stories with him.

"Here we are… Entry: October 23, 12:00 PM, 2077." He said as he opened the file, scrolling over the text.

'_My God. They actually did it…_

_We'd been assigned to checkpoint duty along with the police forces and had just started when the calls started coming in. Radio traffic about the strikes on the west coast. Going to DEFCON 1. The siren's started a few moments later. I made the call… and my platoon started herding as many people from the checkpoints down into here. We waited as long as possible before closing the blast doors… but dear God… I can still hear the screaming and pounding on the doors. Right up till the shockwave hit us._

_The tremors felt like they'd never end… first the violence of the blasts… then what sounded like buildings falling even an hour later. Just… it was horrifying. Children crying, people occasionally screaming in terror… my troops trying to maintain order._

_There's a lot of us down here… we dragged down what supplies we had time to grab from the trucks as well… but we have to go back up there eventually… just not now. For now, we just keep people alive. Pray that it wasn't as bad as people think. I've got my radio man scanning for any broadcast signals… any sign of an all clear or where to go._

_May God have mercy on our souls._

_Lt. Edwards_

_U.S. Army'_

A slow breath escaped him as Collin returned to the home page, scrolling down to the next entry, which was about two weeks later.

'_We haven't been able to raise anyone on the radio for the past few days. Could be our antenna isn't able to pick up or too much interference from the bombs. We've sent our two T-60 units to scavenge, these old tunnels were stocked with some basic emergency supplies to feed anyone who fled down here… that and we got used to the taste of rat._

_We've started fortifying the various parts of the station. The main entrance we can keep close. I doubt anyone will come through there. The tunnels on the other hand, we're are making what barricades we can with what weapons we brought. It looks like we'll be staying down here for a while…_

_I've been trying to get my men and the civilians to integrate well, but for now there are minor tensions. People are scared because we can't give them information. Some are convinced that the Commies are gonna break through that door any day now and shoot all of us._

_Personally. I doubt there's a China left to invade._

_I've been talking with one of the civilians, a woman. Joanna Pierce. She's a school teacher, seems to have a level head on her shoulders and seems to be the one that most of them head to. She's got a daughter too, Hayley. Don't know if the kid is keeping up an act or what, but I think she has the other kids convinced that it'll be okay._

_I only wish I could say the same._

_Lt. Edwards.'_

Collin backed out of the journal entries, then fished a small, orange, holodisk from his pack and slotted it into the computer, quickly transferring the entries over to it so he could read them later. He removed the disk, taking a moment to label it, then returned it to his pack. Finally, he stood up and looked to her.

"There's too many to read… so I'm taking them with us." He said softly as he regathered himself.

Amata nodded some, although the look on her face said she might be a bit worried. This didn't remind her of the Collin she knew… all of this morbid obsession with death and fighting. She could understand him being a soldier. It seemed necessary, but how many times had he done this? How many of those tapes might she find?

"Alright… do you have any clue what happened here?" She asked.

"My guess is the earliest of feral ghouls. People driven mad and cooked because they absorbed enough radiation to cook their skin and minds." He said. "Think like the man working the bar we met… but without his sanity." He explained as they headed back out.

A few lights were now on throughout the station… revealing everything in detail. The skeletons, the dried blood, the shell casings. It was all there for them to see.

Collin was used to it now, having slowly grown numb to the amount of death in the wastes. But he could see how much it bothered Amata. Just like it had him when he'd first left.

"So they came in here and attacked these people?" She asked.

"Yeah. As I said, the feral ones don't have their mind anymore. They resort to instinct and hunting. Which means anything with meat is edible." He said as he headed towards the tunnel entrance, shaking his head some.

"Oh… I see…" she said, clearly off put by what that meant.

Collin nodded, "We'll have to be on our guard from here on in. Could be more ferals down here… or worse." He said as he flicked his light back on, bringing his rifle to the ready. "You ready to go?" He asked her.

Amata nodded swiftly, moving her way carefully through the barricade. "Yeah, if you don't mind. I think we should allow the dead to rest in peace. I only hope they found it." She said as she sent a silent prayer for all of these people.

Collin nodded softly, "I'm sure they did… they were just innocent people trying to survive." He said, shaking his head again before following after her. He hated to see such a waste of life… especially for those who'd had it cut off so suddenly. He pushed the thoughts away, and followed after his friend, heading into what he considered the unknown."


	18. Chapter 18

Hey everyone, I'm back again! I know this isn't the fastest update on earth. But I'm hoping you all enjoy it. A little bit of fun to spice things up!

* * *

The tracks gleamed with the light of their lamps, and the crunch of boots on gravel mixed in with the natural sounds of the tunnel. They'd been walking like this for roughly an hour since leaving the dead station. Thankfully, things had been relatively quiet. Only a few mole rats had come out, none of them overly large, about the size of Dogmeat. The worst they'd encountered were a few small bands of feral ghouls at the last station they'd passed through. Between their guns and Dogmeat's teeth, neither had been much trouble.

The tunnel ahead of them was still pitch black except for their own lights, no sign of light. Water occasionally dripped down from the roof of the tunnel, seeping through the cracks in the cement. Moss and mold covered the sides of the tunnel itself. The tracks were rusting over as well from years of no maintenance.

"Where did you say we were again?"

Collin leaned over, showing her his Pip-Boy map, "Here." He tapped the screen. "We pass through this next station and then we'll come to The Mall." He told her as they walked.

"The Mall? What's that?"

"Used to be a big park in DC… Monuments to the Old World US and its deeds and people. Stuff like that. Also has museums around it and an old government building." He said. "Now… it's a battlefield. Underneath it is generally safe enough, but up above it your liable to run into a super mutant patrol." He said softly as they walked. He could see an old subway train up ahead of them. One they couldn't get around, but could get through.

"Here. I'll go first." Amata said as she walked forwards to the door, MP at the ready. She boosted herself up onto the coupling of the car, and pulled the door open carefully, light illuminating the inside of the car itself from her pip boy. Dust covered the car as it did everything else in these tunnels. Skeletons were littered throughout it, in the seats, on the floor. Along with their various personal items. Brief cases, toys, old bags of food stuffs.

Collin climbed in after her, his light providing more direct illumination. He moved up behind Amata towards the next car. It was much the same, all old things of the past, although this time they did happen upon a duffel bag that Dogmeat gave a curious sniff. Collin motioned to Amata, who stopped her advance.

"What did you find here boy?" Collin asked softly as he moved over to the duffel bag. He tugged the zipper on it… and his eyes widened. "Oh damn…" He said.

The bag was full of two things, weapons and chems. Three top condition R91's and ammo for them, a few first aid boxes full of various chems, and a rocket launcher with three rockets.

"Collin… someone's coming…" He heard Amata breath. He instantly doused his light, watching as she did the same and flatten herself to the wall. They were bathed in semi darkness, and Collin flipped himself over to his visors night vision, the subway car suddenly becoming encased in a green glow as he looked towards the front of the car.

Lights shone in the distance, and there was the sound of boots crunching on gravel, distant voices slowly starting to reach them.

"Digger, th'fuck is this shit at?"

"I told ya, s'right up here dumbass. Where they fuckin' promised it." Digger snapped at the other one.

"Hey! Don't start this bullshit with us. I won't put up with it like the old man does." Another growled.

"Yeah yeah. Let's just get this shit done." The one named Digger must've growled out.

Collin was taking slow and steady breaths as he carefully crawled his way over to the front of the subway car, he peeked up at the window, just enough to see over. Roughly five of them were nearing the car, walking lazily and carrying various weapons. Hunting rifles, pistols, blunt weapons, whatever it looked like they could get their hands on. He glanced to Amata, who was staring right back at him.

"We're gonna have to take them on…" he said pulling down his reapers mask. They would risk making too much noise trying to escape from the train. Amata nodded grimly in return, readying her MP.

"Let's do this quickly then."

The two propped themselves up slowly in the windows, Collin forcing Dogmeat to lay low. The raiders weren't looking up at them, instead shining their lights along the train tracks in front of their feet. Collin took this opportunity to flick on his light, catching the raiders off guard.

"What the…!" Digger cried out.

Whatever Digger had been about to say was cut off by a sudden ripping burst from Amata's gun. The tunnel was filled with the rattle of automatic weapons fire and the flash of the weapon as she let it rip down the line of raiders. Completely catching the first few off guard. The first two fell instantly, bodies riddled. The others shot behind or under the next train car up.

Amata emptied the rest of her mag into the area where they'd just been, ensuring they stayed under cover as well.

"Mother fuckers! You killed'em!" One of them screamed out before sticking their R-91 out and hosing the train car, forcing Amata down behind a seat as bullets chewed where she'd just been. Collin took a deep breath and raised his own rifle, firing off a few shots at the known raider. They ducked back behind cover, allowing Amata enough breathing room to reload.

"I hope you got a plan." She said, looking to Collin.

He'd been just about to respond before a small metal orb smashed through one of the glass windows and landed at their feet.

"Fuck! Grenade!" Collin instantly dove at it, grabbing it and throwing it back out the window as hard as he could. He heard it bounce off the concrete of the tunnel before an explosion happened. The entire tunnel was filled with dust and smoke from the blast. Both Collin and Amata's ears rang from the noise.

It did provide them with an opportunity though. Collin moved quickly, out of the front door and threw himself down to the ground, he rolled under the train car. His night vision giving him the advantage. He settled himself between the tracks themselves, taking aim at the two figures that came into focus. He didn't hesitate, and four shots erupted from the rifle.

The ping of his clip auto ejecting was the death note for the two raiders under the train. He slammed another in as the last raider panicked, jammed their rifle under the train, and pulled the trigger. Collin lay flat, thankful that the two bodies absorbed most of the fire. Suddenly he heard another rip of 10 mm SMG fire. The final raider fell, chest riddled with holes.

Collin groaned softly as he climbed out from under the train car, hearing boots hit gravel as he saw Amata appear with Dogmeat, the duffel bag slung onto her back. She offered him a hand, which he smiled and accepted, although she could not see this under his mask.

"You okay?" she asked.

"Yeah… you?" Collin pulled the mask up as she nodded. "You did good, handled yourself well." He told her.

"Thanks." She said. "Good timing on getting that grenade."

"Yeah… that was a little closer for comfort than I like." He said as he did an ammo and item check. "How are you on ammo?"

She pulled the mag out of her gun, looking at the small slot in it. "One down, still have half of this magazine left. Four more on me."

Collin nodded, "One down here too. Got nine clips on me. Spares in my pack. We'll need it… They probably got a camp up ahead in the next station." He hopped down, searching the one in the lead for anything.

"Do you think we can take them on?" She asked softly.

"Yeah… if we act quick. Catch them off guard. I think so." He said, she just nodded.

* * *

It took them around half an hour until Collin started seeing the classic signs of a raider camp up ahead. Graffiti smeared on the walls, meat hooks and barbed wire, and eventually a few mutilated body parts hanging from those hooks. Amata was clearly disgusted by it, and while Collin was used to it, he didn't enjoy it either.

He brought them to a stop behind one of the masses of metal tangled up with barbed wire. They could see fires in the distance, and make out voices as well. Collin pulled the mask down, then glanced back to her. "We move quiet… follow me." He said softly as he moved at a crouch, keeping his silhouette small. Amata followed him as they slipped forwards along the tracks.

Up ahead things were slowly coming into view. Two of them were gathered around a barrel fire, both packing Type 93's and quietly talking. That didn't bother Collin too badly, however the M-60 machine gun resting on some sandbag's they'd piled up did. They were rare to a degree… and brought a lot of power to any small group that had one.

He carefully shouldered his Service Rifle, slipping out his 10 mm and a suppressor, which he carefully screwed onto the end of the barrel. He scanned carefully along the wall of the tunnel, and found what he was looking for. A service door entrance in which the actual door had long since rusted away from its hinges. Collin hunkered down some, practically crawling forward as he pressed himself against the wall, moving slow to remain quiet as he crept towards the doorway itself. He could see that Amata wasn't far behind him, nor was Dogmeat, who'd long since grown used to sneaking like this.

The entry way itself was covered by a few strings of cans hanging from chains, it was a common alert system here in the wastes used by all groups equally. Crude, but highly effective. Collin looked through the doorway as carefully as he could, making sure he wasn't noticed, and didn't like what he saw. Another one was there, leaned up against the wall standing guard. He motioned for Amata and Dogmeat to stay back.

Collin let out a slow breath, mostly inaudible even to him, and lowered himself down. He slowly eased himself under the chains, weapon ever at the ready as he slipped forward. He paused for a moment, holstering his pistol and slipping out a combat knife. He let it get comfortable in his grip. He forced himself to not notice any of the man's features. Not looking at his face, but focusing on the gun the man had. He steadied himself, then lunged.

The man struggled some, but wasn't ready for this. Collin used his surprise and strength to wrap his arms around the man, and didn't stop with the force till he felt his knife blade slip into the man's neck. He heard a slight gurgling whimper come from the man as he started to pull him back quietly, feeling the warm blood stream onto his hands from the wound and the man's mouth. Once he was away, he carefully sat the raider down and removed his knife, wiping it off.

He took a moment to motion to Amata that he was okay, then slipped up to the doorway that went into the station proper. The raiders camp was simplistic, contained to the lower floor. He could see another group of guards at the far side of the tunnel. The main group however, was gathered around a series of ramshackle huts and tents set up on one of the platforms farther down.

He finally saw what could only be the leader of them, even if he couldn't see the brand. What he was wearing sent a small chill down Collin's spine… it was a hodgepodge of power armor that looked like it had been stripped off the suit and combined with regular combat armor. He was also lugging around a pretty serious looking plasma rifle.

"Where the fuck are those idiots?" He heard the leader call out. "They shoulda been back by now."

One of the men at the fire closest to Collin turned. "We heard them poppin' shots earlier… probably found some mole rats and are havin' fun with 'em!"

"Better fuckin' be…" The leader said as he looked up. "If that snide son of a bitch wants us to blow that tower to hell and back… we need that fuckin' rocket launcher." He growled.

The realization suddenly hit Collin, '_They're being paid to take down Washington Monument… the radio tower. Doing so… it'd cripple the Brotherhood's com's outright.' _

He gripped his 10 mm a little tighter, having replaced his knife with it. He carefully set his rifle down, where he could get to it. Then pulled out a hand grenade and primed it.

* * *

Amata was progressively getting more worried, she had no idea what Collin was doing… or what those people had been talking about. It hadn't sounded good. She gripped her MP9 a little tighter, watching the two by the barrel fire. She thought that Collin had to be stuck where he was, he'd draw too much attention going out of that hallway. Then, she saw a little orb bounce off the platform with a metallic clunk and land near the two raiders.

"What the fuck!" One cried out as they both turned to run. Amata just pulled herself down lower behind cover, making sure Dogmeat was as well.

The explosion made her ears ring in the confined space, but she could still hear the screams and shouts of the other raiders, and could see movement farther down the station. Not long after, the bark of Collin's rifle started, and the raiders began to return it with just as much earnest. She watched as another hand grenade was thrown, sending the raiders into cover, but it wasn't enough. All of them were focusing fire on Collin.

Amata had to do something… but her sub machinegun wouldn't be enough. She looked to the sandbags nearby… to that big machinegun that was sitting there, already loaded and waiting. She could feel how tense dogmeat was, ready for a fight, cackles up on his back. "Alright boy… let's help him out." She said before she moved up at a low crouch to stay hidden.

The gun was heavy, far heavier than her MP. And the box on the side was amazingly chock full of ammo in its belt. The bullets were just as big as the ones Collin's rifle fired. She quickly pulled it to her, turning it around and resetting the bipod onto the sandbags. She pressed the butt into her shoulder and lined up a shot.

_Click._

Her hands moved quicly, wondering what was wrong. Then she felt the small nob on the side of it. '_Charging Handle… like mine.' _She hoped as she yanked the handle back, hearing the gun make a satisfying clunk and the belt move some. She lined up her shot again, and pulled the trigger.

The sound was almost deafening as the gun pushed into her shoulder, only kept stable by her and the bipod as the belt danced in her vision, each round being pulled into the gun methodically. Brass cartridges spat onto the ground around her, catching in the fire light as a few glowing rounds tore into the raiders defenses downrange. She caught a few of them in the first shot. Their cover too thin to stop a full round like that. The rest scattered, and Amata paused to find another target.

She heard Collin's rifle pick back up, and suddenly saw a few strange flashes, and something green came flying through the station. Almost like an orb. It smoked as well, and let off a glow on the dim lit walls of the station. These weren't aimed at Collin though, but at her. One skimmed a nearby sandbag, burning through it and turning the sand inside instantly into a sort of glass. She felt as another landed on the tracks… the heat coming from it.

"Amata! It's Plasma! Don't let it touch you!" She heard Collin shout as he fired at whoever was shooting. She nodded quickly, and responded by firing on the same target who was shooting at her. The person dove behind cover after she saw a few strikes on the armor they were wearing.

More fire started landing near them, coming from above. She looked up to see two more on the balcony that lead to the surface. Assault rifles clattering away trying to pin her and Collin down. She lugged the massive machinegun to focus on them. The tracers guided her onto her target. Chunks of concrete exploded as they ducked down. She focused fire on them, and eventually the concrete gave way. She started to turn back to the heavily armored one, until a searing pain tore through her arm with a green flash. It burned like nothing she'd ever felt. Like pure fire in her veins, and she did the one thing anyone would in this situation. She screamed in pain.

* * *

The scream that came to Collins ears terrified him… because of who was doing it. Amata. He went into a rage in anger. She was still screaming, and the raider leader looked smug. "Come and get me you sum bitch!" He said with glee as he fired off another random shot towards Collin. Collin growled, and dug into his pack. He hadn't wanted to use these… but he didn't have a choice now, even if he only had one clips worth.

He pushed the clip of API rounds into his rifle, and without hesitation, raised it up and fired, not hesitating. The rounds bit into the armor and started to burn as he poured fire into the chest piece. The man flinched as smoke poured from his chest, trying to get his rifle up. Finally, the last three rounds got through, and the man screamed out and fell, smoke from the armor piercing incendiaries pouring from the man's chest as he struggled. Collin didn't give him a chance. He kicked the plasma rifle away, pulled out his 10 mm pistol, and fired into the man's head till the clip emptied.

He ran to where Amata was on the ground behind her cover, Dogmeat over her protectively as she cried out from the pain. Getting shot was one thing… but plasma was another. "It's okay, I got you Amata. I'm here." He said as he carefully removed her hand. The skin around her upper arm was black, a good portion gone from the plasma shot that got her. It had instantly cauterized from the heat, no blood coming from it. This would take time.

He set to cutting away a portion of her vault uniform around the wound… then used his canteen, to flush the wound out quickly, removing any other debris from it, wincing as that caused her to cry out again. He had to move to hold her in place as she fought to get away from it.

"I know... I know. It's okay 'Mata." He said, trying to be soothing. Finally, he pulled out a Med-Ex and held her arm firm while he administered the pain killer. She instantly seemed to calm some as the shot entered her system, even though she was still whimpering. He shifted some, having had to put his full weight on her to keep her from moving. He quickly followed up the Med-Ex with a Super Stimpack, watching as even it took time to start closing the wound.

He moved off her, giving her some room as she still shivered. He sat down beside her, and without much prompting pulled her to his. She clung close to him as best she could as he tried to comfort her. "It hurts… It hurts." She said, clinging to him tightly.

"I know. But it's going away now… it's going away. You'll be better in no time." He said softly as she just lay against him, using his arm for a rest. He couldn't blame her… he'd been much the same when a Plasma bolt had first hit him… one of the members of Lyons Pride had had to drag him into cover while they'd patched up his leg from it… he'd cried and screamed too.

Out of all the pains he'd discovered in the wasteland… it was the worst. It spread through the entire system from the pure amount of heat. Not just around the wound, but at times it felt like the entire body was in agony from it… he'd only ever felt two worse pains… and he didn't want to think of either.

He kept an arm around Amata as the meds did their work, giving her some water before she finally passed out from the exhaustion and the meds… it'd be better that way, as there'd still be a burning sensation until the wound was done healing, even with the Med-Ex in her system. He watched as Dogmeat settled into a normal guard stance, the same one he did when Collin himself was hurt enough to require a rest. The dog settled down, laying where he pleased, but always facing the last place where he knew the enemy had come from. Listening. He personally set about to reloading his weapons… keeping them near just in case.

He said a silent prayer… for her, for himself… for them all. Something was up in the wasteland… and he didn't like it.

* * *

Well, that's what I've got for you guys! Hope you enjoyed this chapter. Fair warning that as time goes on these two aren't gonna go unscathed. The wasteland isn't a safe place.

As always, I'd like to thank all of you guys for taking the time to read this little fic of mine! If you guys have any feedback for me, feel free to leave me a review telling me your thoughts!

Until next time! Fortunate Son, out!


	19. Chapter 19

Hey guys, sorry about dissapearing. I haven't had as much time and recently started another story to keep my ideas flowing. I plan to start alternating on updates as it gives me a change of pace. I also recently became an uncle so I have that in my life.

I hope you guys enjoy this chapter.

Fortunate Son, out!

* * *

Collin stretched some as he zipped up the duffle bag, he'd picked out the weapons in the best condition and stuffed them in there. Even the M-60 after he'd removed the barrel to make it more carriable. He'd also crammed as much ammo as he could in there as well. First in magazines and belts, then the rest as loose rounds. He didn't think he could fit anything else in there.

Medicine, he'd stuffed into his and Amata's packs. Raiders, being raiders, naturally had plenty of various chems laying around. This crew hadn't had very many caps though. Maybe a hundred out of all of them. Of course, given their chosen local that was to be expected. Not many people with caps to their name dared to even go near the mall.

He set the bags down next to the still sleeping Amata, then took a moment to look her over. She had the plasma sweats as the heat from the shot worked its way out of her system. He'd had them plenty of times before… especially during the war. He pulled out a small cloth, damping it with water to place on her forehead to cool her down.

He watched her stir some from the coolness against her skin. Her eyes fluttering open as he calmly brushed some hair away from her.

"C…collin?" She asked softly as she looked to him. "My arm… what happened?" She asked as she looked around. "I feel like Butch nailed me in the arm with a fast ball."

He smiled some, "Well… that's pretty close." He said. "You got hit by a plasma round… in your shoulder. I had to doctor it up. It's doing okay now… but you need to rest for a bit while the plasma sweats work themselves out of you." He explained.

"Plasma sweats? What's that?" She groaned out, shaking her head some to try and clear what he figured was the grogginess from the medicine. "Sounds like one of Mrs. DeLoria's mixed drinks." She said trying to smile some.

He chuckled, "Yeah… it does… kicks about like one too." He said. "You're body absorbs the heat from the round… it's gotta get rid of it some way." He said.

"H…how?" She asked as the grog faded.

"It's a gas that gets super-heated or something… all I know is that the last time the scribes tested it… the industrial thermometer they were using stopped reading out at 5000 degrees Celsius." He said.

Her eyes went wide… no wonder she was still burning up like a fever.

"Thankfully…because of its movement and where it hit it only touched you for a fraction of a second… not enough time to impart much of that heat." Collin said as he let her have at his canteen while he took the cloth off. He'd seen the effects of a plasma shot to the gut… it wasn't pretty.

"Why do some of these weapons even exist?" She asked him after taking a long drink.

Collin shook his head, "As best I can guess… just to cause as much pain, suffering, and destruction as possible. I'm sure there was a better reason… but that's all I can tell they are useful for. Thankfully they're rare. In fact, that raider picked that one off a dead Enclave soldier. I could see the markings on it.

Amata nodded, "Does the Brotherhood use them. Do you?" she asked.

"Yeah, the Brotherhood will use almost any weapon that they can get their hands on. I've seen them using top of the line weapons and I've seen some units using bastard guns they've scraped together in times of need." He said with a chuckle.

"Although now they're trying to standardize a bit more. Plasma weapons go to the elite units because of how rare they are. Standard power armor troopers use laser weapons, heavy assault rifles, or mini-guns. The grunts, non-power armor troopers, mostly use standard R-91's or Type 93's." He explained.

Amata nodded, although she was still slightly confused. "You sure don't seem to use standard equipment." She pointed out, causing Collin to smile.

"No, I don't." He said with a laugh. "Other than Lyon's Pride members and a few others. I'm one of the only soldiers in the Eastern Brotherhood of Steel who carries non-standard equipment, and more specifically equipment I supplied myself with." He said.

She looked to him and shook her head, "You always had to stand out." She said smiling softly. "So what's wrong with the standard equipment?" She asked. She was learning more about him every day. She didn't have anything to talk about even close to what he had.

"I did pack it for a while." He said. "Even before I joined the Brotherhood I was packing around either an R-91 or a bolt action rifle. Always had to choose depending on the situation, made packing ammo pure hell." He said with a grin

She rolled her eyes, "You sound like the girls in the old holo-vids trying to decide what to wear." She joked some as he sat down next to her. Her voice was getting heavier now though, still weary as her body purged the heat.

"What can I say, gotta have the right accessories for a night on the town out here." He smirked.

Amata sat back, sliding a little closer to him. "Do you mind if we stay here until this passes?" She asked, wiping her forehead of the small amount of sweat there. He could see she was getting tired again.

"Not at all… it's for the best really." He said. "We'll be getting into GNR late… but we should be alright." He said.

She nodded, and slid over to him, leaning up against him. Collin stiffened some at the sudden action, but gently slid an arm around her as he lay back against the wall too. "Get some rest 'Mata… I'll be right here." He said as he hid his blush some.

He felt her head lean over onto his shoulder, and he gently snaked an arm around her, letting her rest while she got the plasma heat from her system.

* * *

It was dark by the time the climbed out of the Metro at Chevy Chase Plaza, a chill hitting them as they hunkered in the Metro entrance. Collin could hear distant gunfire, and dogmeats cackles were up again, teeth bared slightly.

"What is it?" Amata whispered next to him.

Collin thought and searched for a moment. "Not sure… I don't hear any laser fire… so not BoS… could be Super Mutants." He said just as quiet. It was all he could think of. Then a roar of anger confirmed that… the stereotypical sounds of super mutants fighting something. His first thought was settlers, but then he heard something that chilled his blood.

Something roared back at the super mutants, far louder and meaner sounding. The fighting was getting closer.

"What… on earth… was that?" Amata asked.

Collin shuddered some, "That… was none other than the roar of a fully-grown Deathclaw." He said. "We need to get to GNR and fast." He explained.

"What's a Deathclaw?" She asked.

"The meanest, most pissed off, thing in the wastes." It was the only way he could describe it without more time. "We need to move." He told her as he looked around for the first bit of the area they were in. It was quiet, no movement that he could see. If any mutants had set up camp here, they must've been drawn away by the fighting.

Collin pointed to a nearby car, "We got here first… we're gonna hop between cover till we can move towards GNR. I don't wanna be anywhere nearby if that thing comes this way." He told her.

When she nodded, Collin looked ahead, and then bounded out from behind cover, running to the old rusted heap. He settled down, looking around in case they'd been spotted.

"Coast is clear." He whispered back to Amata, who nodded and took off with Dogmeat at a run, slipping into cover with him.

"Easy enough…" She whispered.

"Yeah… always is the first bit." Collin nodded.

They kept leaping and bounding between cover like this. Alternating who went first. One would cover the other while they ran to the next bit of cover, and at first it seemed like they would be able to move uninterrupted to the Plaza. That was until Collin could see light in a nearby alley, and hear the all too familiar rough growling rage filled voice that many super mutants had.

"Ughh… fighting get closer. Me wanna smash something." He heard.

"No. Master give orders. Stay here, kill meat sacks coming from dark place. Let no one go to or leave talkey man's house."

The first one growled, "Urgghhhh… me smash talkie man… make mess out of tiny humans. Metal or not."

The other one just growled as they went back to talking.

"Shit… that's not good." Collin whispered as he looked to Amata. The area up ahead didn't have much cover, but no doubt had more mutants than those two. And the fighting only seemed closer.

"What do we do now?" She asked, just as quiet.

Collin sighed as he thought, until an idea came to him. He eased the duffel bag off him, the damned heavy as hell thing it was, and carefully unzipped it. He pulled out one of the rockets, a hand grenade, and some duct tape and set to work.

"Grenade will set off the rocket… I can throw it and we can run while they are distracted." He said as he wrapped the grenade to the rocket itself.

"Are you sure that's a good idea?" She asked quietly, to which he shrugged.

"Not sure… gonna find out." He said, finishing up.

Collin could see her shake her head in the corner of his eye. "Hey, if you got a better idea, now's the time." He said as he got ready.

She was silent, "I blame you if this backfires." She finally said as she hunkered down behind the car some.

Collin just nodded, then stood up, pulled the pin on the grenade, and threw the entire contraption as hard as he could into an empty building before dropping back down to the ground.

The explosion was way bigger than what he'd expected as secondaries started going off inside the building, including a damned mini nuke. He heard a sudden whoosh from the building in the sound of air escaping as the fireworks show set off more missiles and other explosives. Something shot over head and exploded against the upper half of the building behind them, showering them with debris. Next there was the popping of bullets going off from the heat.

"Oh shit! That was their ammo stash!" He said as they cowered from the debris and the occasional bullet. "We need to move!" He said as he jumped up, pulling Amata to her feet as well as they took off. The ammo fire lighting the way for them.

"Tiny Human! Blow up our toys!" A mutant screamed out, and soon they were taking actual fire as bullets whizzed by them from whatever guns the mutants had. Collin made sure she ducked down with him, but they both kept running.

"I told you that was a bad idea!" Amata screamed from behind him as they ran, dogmeat barking as he ran with them.

"Me smash puny humans! Me hungry!" One yelled, sounding much closer than the others. Collin dared a glance back, seeing one bearing down on them… or at least he was until a flying ripper physically embedded itself in the things skull, sending it to the ground in a heap.

"Run!" He simply shouted as he tugged her around a corner, into the alley he knew led into the plaza. The sound of the still exploding ammo dump had long since drowned out the more distant fire fight. He kept them moving towards GNR, finally starting to relax since they were close.

"I think we're good now." He said as he panted some, resting in the alley. They took a moment to catch their breath and then Collin got them going again. He'd just about to say that the plaza would be safe when he rounded the corner to see a heavily mauled super mutant corpse laying before them, flesh now more red than green from all the blood.

The plaza was empty, no sign of any Brotherhood soldiers. It seemed that them and anyone else had possibly moved inside the Plaza though from the lack of human bodies he could see with a quick glance. He raised up his gun, searching for more super mutants. There were plenty of bodies of them after all.

It was the scream of one that drew his attention to the far corner.

"I will destroy yoagghhhh!" The super mutant roared out as it was lifted from the ground by something that Collin absolutely did not want to see.

A fully grown death claw, the super mutant speared on one of its claws. As the super mutant screamed the thing just watched it. Look on its face indescribable. It raised up the super mutant high, and then roared in its face. A roar that filled the plaza with noise and deafened Collin for a moment. The thing then instantly bit down on the mutant's head, biting it off and swallowing before dropping the corpse to the ground.

Those cold, glowing white eyes then seemed to take notice of Collin, who stared it down. Collin just looked back, rifle raised as the death claw started to posture against him. Collin shrugged the pack off his back, glancing to Amata.

"'Mata… I think we're gonna need that rocket launcher." He said as he moved carefully forward. "I hate fucking death claws." He muttered. This wasn't gonna be fun.


	20. Chapter 20

Hey guys, I'm back at it again haha. As promised, here's another chapter! Not my longest but let's say it's been a busy weekend. I do still plan to stick to my alternating weeks deal. One week here for Fallout, and another week for Star Wars. It's the most fair I could figure out and doesn't let me get tied down too much in either story. I hope you guys have a good weekend and enjoy this chapter. Things are gonna start picking up here soon as our two wanderer's return home so you better hold on to your bottle caps!

Fortunate Son, out!

* * *

Collin moved carefully, the soulless eyes of the Deathclaw boring into him as it stood over its kill. One of its clawed hands scraped along the ground in a challenging gesture. Collin had his rifle raised as he moved along the edge of the plaza, ready to dodge if the thing decided to charge him. He kept its attention, never once breaking his gaze from those glowing white eyes in the evening dusk. The Deathclaw slowly turning to constantly face him.

He didn't have the firepower on him to deal with this. The only thing that was going to bring it down quick was the launcher, and Amata had to get it back up and working first. Thankfully the thing had instructions on the side.

"Alright you big bastard, eyes on me… that's right. Just look at me." He said as he moved. The Deathclaw growled at him, and slowly began advancing. The muscles in its legs tensed as it paused, taking a moment before it leapt forward and charged him.

Collin ripped off two shots at the things chest before throwing himself out of the way of the six-hundred-pound beast. He heard the shrieking tear of metal as it's claws tore through an old car that had been behind him, leaving deep gouge marks like it'd clawed into sand. Collin skidded through the dirt on his side before pushing himself back upright and dashing for the skeleton of one of the older sky scrapers.

He heard the deathclaw slam into the two pillars he'd just ran between, pressing himself up against the wall as those two eyes stared him down. Collin didn't hesitate. His rifle came up, and with the barrel pointed right at an eye he fired. The Deathclaw wailed in pain as its eye was eradicated by the high velocity round, ripping itself away from the pillars as it staggered back, blood pouring from it.

Collin poured on the fire as the thing wailed from the sudden pain, going until he heard his rifle go empty. It seemed to recover, and turned to him with a growl, the one eye now completely gone. Collin started backing up as the thing advanced, working to reload his rifle.

He could see it tensing up just as a stream of red laser fire lit up the Deathclaws back. The electronic zapping sound of multiple laser rifles going off into its back as it growled in irritation and turned on this new annoyance. A squad of brotherhood troopers was pouring out of the GNR building, rifles at the ready.

"Come on you sorry excuses for humanity, our brother needs help!" One shouted out as she positioned the power armored soldiers to start laying on the fire. The laser blasts came at a steady rate that the deathclaw couldn't compete with, scorch marks began appearing on its hide as the laser rifles burned through it instead of punching their way through.

Collin saw one of the troopers go running across the plaza, slipping into the alley where he knew Amata was. He pushed another clip into his rifle, pushing the slide closed and laying down his own level of fire onto the beast.

He stepped forwards a little, intent on hitting a small weak spot at the base of the skull, instead he was backhanded as the Deathclaw turned on him. Collin slammed into a nearby car, causing it to rock as he came to rest against the door. All of him hurt, and his side that had been hit screamed in pain. Everything was blurry.

He saw as a rocket flew and exploded underneath the abomination, crippling one of its legs as it had turned to stare him down with its one remaining eye. Collin scrambled to get his rifle in his stunned state, but couldn't seem to find it. Everything was blurry, fuzzy. He seemed sluggish. He lay there, waiting for the beast to finish him off, as it seemed it wanted too. Instead, it retreated, clawing its way up over a nearby wall and escaping the fire.

* * *

Amata ran towards where Collin had collapsed as soon as that… that monster had disappeared over the far wall. The armored soldier who had went to her had taken up the rocket launcher, sending the shot at it as soon as he'd finished assembling it.

She skidded to a stop as she came to Collin, hearing him moan a little as she started to check him over. "You're okay Collin, you're okay." She said. That things claw… it'd completely shattered the armor plate that protected his side. Blood was coming from him as well, and she had no doubt that he had some fractured ribs as well if the pain in his breath was any symbol. "I need a doctor here now!"

She could hear people scrambling at that call, the big doors of the radio station were thrown open and some shouting was heard. She fished out a stimpack, just like he'd shown her, and started undoing the armor plates.

He let out a moan as she got the plates off him, and she couldn't help but gasp at what she saw. Three claw marks were left in the side of his torso, and blood was seeping from each one at an alarming rate. She quickly slipped the stim pack into his side, injecting it as near to the wound as she safely could. The bleeding slowed some, but this was going to take time. She scrambled for bandages, anything to stop the bleeding. "I said I need a fucking doctor!" She screamed.

She was just pressing the bandages up against his side, holding them tight as she heard the crunch of boots on gravel behind her. She could see that he was still slightly responsive, as Collin would shift. But he was losing blood. Two soldiers knelt, dropping a home-made stretcher. One moved in beside her.

"I'm a medic, watch out. Keep pressure on those bandages." He set to work on Collin. "Knight. Knight, can you hear me." He said as he checked him over. "Have you injected anything in him?"

"Yeah, one stimpack, into the side near the wound."

Collin let out a groan, "A..ahm still here." He said as he tried to focus on them. The medic nodded, instantly pulling out a second stimpack and injecting it.

"I have to see the wound, move those for a moment."

Amata did, and the blood flowed again, although it was slowing. The doctor took a closer look, inspecting inside the wound.

"He's got a little shrapnel in there, we'll have to pluck it out. Isn't bad though. Get those back on him, let's get him inside. Jones, go prep a disinfecting scrub just to be safe, wound could get infected. Get a super stim ready too, he's got some broken ribs." He said as they tied the bandages to his side.

Amata moved out of the way, helping them get Collin onto the stretcher. The other man took off, the medic looking to her.

"Alright, we're gonna move'em. Get on that side." She nodded and moved, grabbing the struts and starting to lift with him.

"W..wait… rifle." Collin managed to growl out. "Get my rifle." He groaned softly.

Amata nodded, looking for it. She found it laying on the far side of the car. It'd gone through the door glass and out the other side, burying up in the dirt. She grabbed it and slung it on her shoulder before returning.

"I got it Collin, I got it." She lifted him up with the medic, despite any protests from the boy as they moved him inside the building. There were others crammed inside the building too, most didn't look scared. Although many heads did perk up when they saw who it was that was wounded. One girl with dark skin wearing a red jumpsuit hopped up and started to follow.

"I'm a doctor from Big Town, how can I help?" She asked.

"We'll need help cleaning the wound. Damn thing hit him so hard that it shattered his armor." One of the medics said. "Don't have an auto doc here."

The girl nodded as they moved back through a room, finding a table to place Collin on. The other medic was already there, and before she could react all three were working on him. She saw she couldn't do much here, so instead she slipped into the hallway, sighing some as she headed back outside to gather up the weapons she'd left there.

The Brotherhood soldier was still there, standing guard over the weapons.

"How is he?" The soldier asked.

"He's okay… hurt, but they're taking care of him." She said as she started gathering their things up. "Why were you guys all inside that base… I thought this area was safe?" She asked.

"Well, that Deathclaw herded those mutants in here. They didn't notice us, and we wanted to save our ammo for a big push tomorrow, trying to break through to troops near Rivet City and secure the path. So we pulled back and chose to let them fight it out. We weren't expecting you guys." He explained.

Amata nodded some with a sigh, "I see…" She said, tiredly. She was worried over Collin, even though she was sure he would be okay. She tugged the pack back on, grunting some at the weight.

The trooper nodded, "Get back inside… we've got everything secured out here. You look like you've been through the shit." He told her. She didn't object, and willingly headed back in to rest.

A person stopped her though, an older man sporting a mustache and goatee while wearing a doo rag on his head was waiting for her.

"So, you're One-oh-One's friend huh?" He said with a chuckle. Amata had heard that voice before. She nodded some.

"Well, any friend of him is a friend of mine!" He chuckled. "I'm Three Dog, radio host, fighter of the good fight, and owner of this little radio station." He smiled. "If you don't mind, why don't you join me in my office… I got a few questions to ask you. And I'm sure I got a few you can answer." He told her.

Amata stood there for a moment, looking to this man. She was tired, cold, and hungry. But she did want answers, especially about her friend that he couldn't answer or didn't want to. She wanted the story that she didn't know. She nodded.

"I'm Amata Almodovar, and yes, yes I do." She said.


	21. Chapter 21

Hey guys, sorry about this going up later than normal. I've been sick lately, so it hasn't been the best two weeks for me. I did want to release this to give myself a clean slate come next week, which marks the beginning of summer vacation for me. I'll be able to put more time into writing these chapters for you guys.

I hope you all enjoy this, and sorry for any mistakes in it. If you'd like, feel free to leave a review, and remember to keep fighting the good fight everyon!

F.S. Out.

* * *

Amata looked around the large room they'd found themselves in. Equipment littered the entire area, all of it for radio transmitting. There were also stacks of records and holodisks as well, just scattered about in boxes, filing cabinets, laying on top of equipment.

There were a handful of people sitting around, most with a pair of headphones on plugged into individual long range radios. Some talked to people on the other end, others simply listened. They would occasionally begin to rapidly scribble info onto note pads or just scraps of paper. She had to admit that it was impressive.

"Welcome to my personal wonderland." Three Dog said as he sat down in front of a large control center. "This is where all the magic happens when it comes to my way of fighting the good fight." He said as he pushed out the chair beside him, bringing it around for her to sit in. "My people here collect any news they can from out in the Wastes. We got correspondents living in every major town and city here. Then we filter through this news and develop it into the stories that you hear yours truly sending out over the waves."

Amata nodded some, taking the offered chair. "Well, it's definitely impressive. How'd you get all this equipment?"

"Well, most of it was already here. Took some work to get a bit of it back up and running but we made it." He said with a wave of his hands. "The rest has been scavenged from around the wastes. Whatever we could get out hands on. Radios, car units, walkie talkies, CB systems. Anything that's got the guts for communication." He told her.

"Ah, I see. Well, you're doing a lot of good. Keeping people informed and helping them keep bright." She said as he nodded in agreement. "But, I guess we aren't here to talk about the radio, are we?"

Three Dog chuckled, "No, we aren't. Straight to the point, aren't you? Ya know, he's a lot like that too."

"I noticed. He wasn't always, for the longest time he was carefree. Liked to tinker with mechanics more than anything else." She said, smiling some at what Collin used to be like. He'd been a bit of a procrastinator.

"Oh, really. Well something changed in him bigtime then?"

"Yeah... I guess that would be the day that he and James left. O…one of the guards down in the vault snapped. He was gonna hurt me, possibly worse. Collin didn't give him the chance" She said.

"I see." Three Dog stretched a little, grabbing a bottle of water and taking a drink. "Well… I guess you're here for the story of the Lone Wanderer then?"

Amata nodded, she wanted to know everything she could about what Collin had been up to out here.

"Well. I guess I should start from the beginning. The first I ever heard of him was when he came to Megaton. Disarmed the atom bomb there and got in a shootout with a man who wanted to blow the thing. It just took off from there. The rescue and defense of Big Town, Arefu, Grayditch… and then he found his way here." He smiled.

"He found his way here in search of James, his old man. Just missed him by two days or so. Collin rolled in right in the middle of greenie assault. Lyons Pride was here and everything. So, he comes in and joins the fight. Just him and this bolt action rifle blasting away at the big green lug heads. They clear the place out just in time for the biggest of the big ugly to show up. A Behemoth comes in and decides it wants dinner and the kid winds up feeding a mini nuke down its gullet." He said, laughing some at this.

Amata was caught off guard by this. "A mini nuke? How? He… he… wow."

"Kid never ceases to step up to a challenge. Course, he was point blank when he fired the thing. Explosion threw him back into a building, Lyons Pride had to dig him out of the rubble and guts."

Amata shook her head, "I shouldn't be surprised… but I am." She said.

There was a beeping sound as an intercom box near Three Dog's chair alerted them. Three Dog pressed the button, "Yeah, what's goin' on?" He asked.

"Knight Sharp is awake Three Dog. He's wondering where his companion is." The woman on the other side said.

"Alright, tell him we're on our way." Three Dog said before ending the connection. "Sorry to cut story time short, but if we don't head down then he'll come up. In his shape that isn't the best option."

* * *

Collin groaned some as he tugged his shirt back on. His midsection was now wrapped in bandages with his bones healed enough for him to function. Two super stims and a medex is what it had taken him to get back into shape. He knew the bones had reset… he'd felt them do so while he lay there and the Stims did their work. The bandages were now so his skin could heal up, to stem the bleeding while he healed.

Everything else was sore from the impact he went through. A bitch slap from hell wasn't what he'd been expecting when he planned this trip. He pulled his jacket back on, zipping it up as he remained sitting. They didn't want him off the table just yet till the drugs had cleared from his system. He did grab his rifle though, and planned to clean it while he waited.

He looked up when Amata and Three Dog came in, just finishing with his jacket. "Three Dog, long time no see." He said with a nod. "You okay Amata?"

"Of course I'm fine. You're the one who took that thing on." She said, shaking her head.

"I had to, before it decided to charge at us. One person has to distract it while the other brings it down." Collin said, looking to her. It was a proven tactic in close quarters like this, when the person dodging had cover with which to do so.

"We could've taken cover or something… but… I'm just glad you're okay." She said.

Collin nodded, "Yeah… sorry if I scared you back there." He told her, offering a bit of a smile.

Amata shook her head at him, sighing some with a tired smile. "You're a reckless idiot sometimes, you know that? Your guardian angel has to be busy nonstop keeping you safe."

Collin smiled some, "Yeah… they must be. And I won't deny that first bit, but sometimes risks and being a bit reckless is what it takes here." He said.

"Kid's not lying. A lot of times, the safest bet is to take some risks out here. Everyone who's tried playing it safe behind walls and such for every situation has had it bite them in the rear in one way or another. You can't stay hidden behind them. Sometimes you gotta wake up, take a big ole' bite outta the world and accept it might bite back." Three Dog added as he sat back in a chair nearby, lighting up a smoke for himself.

Amata sighed, "Yeah… well this time the world really bit you back. Huh Collin?" She said with a shake of the head.

"Yeah, it did." He chuckled, wincing in pain. It still hurt him to laugh. "Three Dog, what's this I heard those two docs talking about an assault?" he asked.

"Simple. BoS is tired of using the sewers to get around while the Super Mutants attack this place. So they're gonna launch a big assault and clear a path before the Super Mutants hole up and fortify for winter. Plan's to pinch them between the front hear and the one near Rivet City." He said. "Paladin Jameson knows more about it. He's leading the thing." The man said before taking a drag from his cig.

Collin nodded, "Alright, I will." He said as he carefully stood, balancing himself as the meds wore off.

"Collin, don't you think you should take it easy after something like that? I understand you want to get back to home… but you're already hurt." Amata said from behind him, the worried tone still there.

"I know Amata… but they could use another gun or two. If we could open this route up, then people could have easier access to these winter clothes. More people could make it through the winter." He said.

"Collin, I understand. But look at you. You're wrapped up like a mummy around your torso! Even with the Stimpacks, should you be going back into a fight so soon after going up against a creature like that." She said, looking to him. He could see the unhidden worry in her eyes now. "I know you want to help people… but damn it Collin… you can't keep getting hurt like this. I… I was scared to death seeing you get hurt." She said.

This was a bit of a punch to the gut for him… she was scared for his safety that much? Worried for him? Collin looked down.

"I… I'm sorry Amata. I just… this is me now. I'm a soldier. This is what I do. I help people help themselves." He said softly. "Look, I'll stick close to you. We won't be right up in the thick of it. I'll leave that to the power armored men. Instead we'll act as something a bit safer. Guards for the Caravan, or with the mop up crew." He said.

"Yeah. Okay." She said, clearly still not entirely happy with this answer. Even he could tell that she didn't want to talk about it anymore.

Three Dog cleared his throat, getting their attention. "Well, if you two will excuse me. I gotta get back to fighting the good fight, got a broadcast here soon." He said. "Kid, if there's anything you need. Tell the Paladin I sent you. He'll hook you up no problem. You two can use that upstairs room that I lent to you Collin. Still got the cots in there." The older man said before excusing himself.

Collin nodded in thanks before the man left, then turned to Amata. "Want to go with me to settle about getting the supplies set up?" He asked her, stretching some as he tried to ignore the ache he still had.

Amata shook her head, "No. You can. I just want some sleep." She said, her voice still holding a slight upset tone with him. "Goodnight, Collin." She said before heading off without him. Collin sighed some… this was just what he needed. His best friend pissed at him. He wanted to go after her, to talk this through, but that wouldn't work with Amata. She needed time to cool off, something he'd learned growing up.

"I'm sorry…" He said softly to the empty room. He went to go settle things with the supplies, knowing he'd have to face this later.


End file.
